Your presence makes me gasp
By Olly
The poem below, Your presence makes me gasp, by Olly wa 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.
I could spend all day sitting and looking at you
You don’t need a mask
You’re beautiful as you are
Your presence makes me gasp
― Olly
Students and Story Factory staff at The Giving Shop