Vignettes
By Kaushal, Year 8
The vignettes below by Nishannt were composed for the Story Factory Giving Shop, a poetry installation run at the Sydney Writers’ Festival 2025. The installation was based on the idea that a well chosen poem is the perfect gift to share with someone special. Story Factory asked young people in Western Sydney to write poems that celebrate their favourite things about the people they love. In a series of creative workshops, young people from Story Factory’s Year of Poetry wrote about raucous laughs, resilience and everything in between.
Like a cool breeze hitting you like a pillow
Like the strong lion making friends with a hyena
Like ice cream on a really hot day
You define the word kindness in every way
― Kaushal
Like red contrasts green
You differ from me
Yet you make me feel happy and free.
― Kaushal
The day starts with me thinking of you
And ends the same way
― Kaushal
The old and rusty car
too stubborn to move
But too precious to lose
I want it to stay
― Kaushal
Your creativity
is like oil pastels on a pizza base
an egg with a blue yolk
or even white spinach
― Kaushal
Students and Story Factory staff at The Giving Shop