The Young Writers Project and Vermont Public Radio presented Millennial Writers on Stage at the Burlington Book Festival on Saturday, September 22, in Burlington. Eighth-grader Kamli Faour was one of 16 students who presented their work. Robin Fawcett of the Young Writers Project provides the introduction:
When not on the slopes, Kamli enjoys training, horseback riding and inspiring others with her poetry. Here’s a quote she loves from writer and naturalist Terry Tempest Williams: "Once you know that you have a voice, it’s no longer the voice that matters, but what is behind the voice."
I Stood Tall
She whispered curses at me as I strode
Through the hallway
And like a knife
Those words cut through
To my heart
But I stood tall
As she flipped
Her long locks over
Broad shoulders
And snickered to her friends.
Their glares
Pierced through me
But I stood tall
As our eyes locked
And I held her gaze for
One
Moment
She broke the stare,
And power surged through me, a sickening feeling
But I stood tall
As she turned around
Striding away
Her back straight —
Each step precise
And I was left
Standing alone
Under the steady hum
Of fluorescent
Lights
Eyes watering,
Shoulders drooping,
A heavy heart.