Once upon a time, I was your story to tell, the morning star that retired hell to the dream king.
I stood tall in the face of uncertainties, only to stand for a time filled with injustice.
Once upon a time, I told my story, it changed the reality of those who couldn’t see the light, it shaped the future of those who travelled through the night.
So once again, once upon a time, the story shall unfold like the sun rising in the East to tell the North that the time has come.
Bohlale Lerato Masera-Sibanda (Bohlale ba Tau)
Once upon a time, I was your story to tell — the morning star that retired hell to the Dream King.
When I wrote those words, I was thinking about how each of us, at some point, becomes a living testimony. Our lives are not simply private journeys; they become part of a collective narrative. We become the “story to tell” for those who came before us, those who walk alongside us, and those who will come after us. I see myself as a living page in the book of my lineage, carrying forward truths that refused to be silenced.
I stood tall in the face of uncertainties, only to stand for a time filled with injustice.
There was a period in my life when I thought that simply enduring — simply holding my ground — was enough. But life has a way of revealing deeper responsibilities. Standing in the midst of uncertainty is one thing, but standing in a time of injustice demands more. It calls for voice, for action, for becoming a mirror to the truth that others might not want to see.
Once upon a time, I told my story; it changed the reality of those who couldn’t see the light, it shaped the future of those who travelled through the night.
Sharing my story was not easy. It meant revisiting wounds, speaking truths that had been brushed aside, and holding space for my own vulnerability. Yet in telling it, something shifted — not just in me, but in others. Some who were lost found their bearings. Others who were weary found the strength to keep walking. My story became a lantern on their path, even when my own light felt small.
So once again, once upon a time, the story shall unfold like the sun rising in the East to tell the North that the time has come.
There’s a sacred cycle to truth. It rises again and again, no matter how many times it is buried. Just like the sun rises without fail, there are moments when the time to speak, to act, to shine, will return. For me, the East is the place of beginnings, of clarity, of spiritual awakening. To tell the North that the time has come is to declare that the wisdom of the ancestors, the courage of the present, and the vision of the future must meet.
This is not just my story. It is the story of anyone who has ever been called to stand in their truth, even when it was uncomfortable. It is the story of those who understand that we are both inheritors and shapers — that the past and the future meet in us.
In the end, “once upon a time” is not just the opening to fairy tales. It is a reminder that our lives are living narratives, filled with moments of choice, courage, and creation. And every time we rise to tell the truth, we turn the page for the next chapter.
Affirmation
I am both the storyteller and the story; my truth is a light that reshapes the world.
For Magic Moments, Bohlale ba Tau
