Vignettes
By Natalia, Year 10
The vignettes below by Natalia 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.
In the vast darkness, not every light
Shines brightly – some shine just enough
to be noticed
― Natalia
Spine straight, shoulders back, unmoving.
Stability, brick upon brick,
you tower confidently forward
A skyscraper, nothing can faze you
― Natalia
Because you make the ocean quiet with your smile
Because you make books turn into movies
Because I’ve never said thank you
― Natalia
Your eyes sparkle differently than others
Blazing and scorching
Your eyes see the desert as a playground
― Natalia
Students and Story Factory staff at The Giving Shop