Every gift is a story — and every story a gift.

A reflection by Eric Willemsen, Special Guest at Poetry in Business Future Bloom on December 4

​

Walking out of the Wien Museum into a wet and windy December evening, I carried something unusual with me: Not the museum’s stories — but the stories we left behind. Together with the other - wonderful - participants, I followed the poetic prompts we received from Christina. These short lines opened doors into the world of paintings, sculptures and historical objects. We looked at the art — and the art looked back. We interpreted, imagined, questioned, connected. A collaborative puzzle, where missing pieces became opportunities for creativity. Four fresh narratives emerged:

🔸 A winged ship under a balloon, connecting cultures.
🔸 A hat that once served the purpose of today’s sunglasses.
🔸 Vienna as a city forever intertwined with nature.
🔸 And inspiration flowing through an open window during an act of cleaning.

​

This poetic experience reminded me what powerful storytelling can be like when it becomes a shared experience. How it connects people, ideas, and eras. Later that night, a simple sentence on a shop window at Vienna's Kaerntner Strasse struck me: “Every gift is a story.” On this evening, our stories were indeed a gift — to the museum, to each other, and to the moment itself.