Friday, April 12, 2024 Meet the Youth Ambassador: Leni
Posted at 09:00h
in Community, JBWC Youth Ambassador Program, Just Buffalo Writing Center, Young Writers
Leni is a Junior in high school at Leonardo Da Vinci. She is an avid poetry writer and her main topics and inspiration come from everyday life and emotions. Though she loves writing poetry, she one day wishes to publish a novel.
Check out an excerpt from Leni’s poem “Keeping Your Light On,” which she wrote for the Stepping Into Your Project—a collaboration between Just Buffalo Writing Center, Squeaky Wheel, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center celebrating the work of esteemed portrait artist Julia Bottoms, as well as the life and legacy of trailblazing politician Shirley Chisholm. Stay tuned for a digital publication created by young artists with Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology!
“Keeping Your Light On” (excerpt)
Keep your own flame lit.
Don’t let the harsh winds blow it out.
Hold it in your hands, cradle it delicately.
Unfold your fingers, let them see the red hot golden light.
It bounces in your palms, desperate to be shown.
You, desperate to show it.
They refuse you, but you’re persistent.
You come back,
you show up,
you make yourself seen.
You command the room, you show them what you see.
Making the time, making the commitment.
The flame dances in your hands, dances in your eyes.
Dances across every room you enter.
You carve out a space for yourself.
You keep that flame lit.
Don’t let the harsh winds blow it out.
Hold it in your hands, cradle it delicately.
Unfold your fingers, let them see the red hot golden light.
It bounces in your palms, desperate to be shown.
You, desperate to show it.
They refuse you, but you’re persistent.
You come back,
you show up,
you make yourself seen.
You command the room, you show them what you see.
Making the time, making the commitment.
The flame dances in your hands, dances in your eyes.
Dances across every room you enter.
You carve out a space for yourself.
You keep that flame lit.