Ode to Family
By Olly, Year 10
Here’s to the ones that love us
Not to the ones that never let us have a turn on the game
Not to the ones that say your name in vain
Not the ones you’re a burden on
No, here’s to the ones who listen, the ones who make you laugh,
are always there when you cry, even when we part ways at the
end of the day never say
goodbye, they’re always there when you need a helping hand, by
your bed when your hourglass
runs out of sand.
Here’s to family Not to blood
Not to the ones who show a lack of love
To the ones whose love is unapologetic,
unwavering
An ode to family
Whatever it looks like to you
Don’t listen to others
Family doesn’t have a definition
Family is what you make it
This poem, An Ode to Family, is an excerpt from The Human Testimony, a poetry collection written by Olly in Story Factory’s Year of Poetry program. In this program, young people commit to attending workshops for a year and write their very own poetry collection, which is professionally edited, published and launched into the Sydney literary landscape.