by Participants at First Story Festival 2025
The more I think of you, the less worry I feel.
This knowledge is like elastic, stretching out for miles.
This sentence is elastic – pinging back and forth
like my emotions do.
Where there are clouds, there’s rain.
And where there’s rain there’s thunder.
It pours down nonstop for hours
until the sun comes out.
Sunshine kisses my skin, illuminates a happiness in me
that disappears in winter.
Summer is what brings joy to the world.
Call your parents and tell them you love them.
Imagine it’s your last chance to say it.
Love your friends, your neighbours
like a piece of cake, a slice of feeling.
A wedge of sponge makes everything better.
The beat of a drum can be as significant as a whole orchestra
and blowing out someone else’s spark won’t grow your own
so, look after your friends as they look after you.
Human nature is kindness. Life isn’t easy for everyone.
Imagine your city turned to ruin.
Not everyone has to imagine.
A bird is a symbol of freedom. Freedom we all should have.
Our hearts can be like shards of glass, glistening in a million pieces.
A fragmented mirror, trapped within locked doors.
But to open up is to be vulnerable,
amazing, special, unique, phenomenal.
The cold was a bit too cold this winter
so open yourself up to sun that burns as brightly as passion.
Open yourself to exploding stars that light up the sky like fireworks
because nothing shines brighter than you, remember.
Nothing shines brighter than you.


