Nowhere to go | Christin Clyburn | TEDxWBG

(This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED conferences.)

Christin, a native Washingtonian, is a national award-winning 11-year-old poet
who won the 2014 Anacostia Watershed Prize at River of Words, the largest environmental poetry and art competition for children in the world. In this TEDx talk she recites her award-winning poem about the environment, “Nowhere to Go".

I stride down the narrow walkway,

my shadow tripping

over the chipped pavement,

weeds breathing through the cracks.

The rusted railings,

embroidered with
the thin gossamer of cobwebs;

I brush them aside.

The invisible threads

hanging from the collage of fading stars.

I slither across the brick wall.

The ivy climbing the cinder blocks

clutched tightly to my foot!

I fall

with undeniable acceptance.

As the sunlight strikes,

a glossy glow beams
from the sparkle of sap,

cascading from the trees.

The drizzle of gold

embracing the pungent scent

of untouched nature,

fresh pine gleaming aromas.

I stood,

indulging in the bliss

of unpermitted pleasure,

enveloping me in a haven

of the unknown.

I may not be tasting paradise,

but the flavor of freedom

soothes my tongue.

Thank you.

(Applause)