You’re autistic, you say?
Well that’s on you.
You chose medication,
Rather than meditation,
Take some accountability!
You don’t like wearing jeans?
Well don’t just blame your genes!
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
More like Attention-Desperate Human-Disease.
Don’t get upset,
I’m just trying to help you!
You might not know as much as me,
But that’s okay!
Anyway,
Have you tried drinking water?
A Quiet Soul — in Ordered Speech —
Unnerved — by Loud Accuse —
Stood trembling — where the Gavel fell —
A Life — they could not use —
For Minds that move in Gentle Lines —
Are strange to Courts of Noise —
Where Power plays its Shadowed Game —
And Terror steals my Voice —
The Bench — a solemn Citadel —
Yet cold — when Truth is near —
Its sentries knowing Innocence —
Encouraged by my Fear —
Cynthia Heir— with A Paper bag—
The jury never Saw —
The subtle Signs — my Rising Pulse —
Without Integrity —
And so — the Heart — to End the Pain —
Would bow to any Word —
A Plea — became their Refuge then —
And Justice was Denied —
But still — the Soul — so bruised by them —
Retains its quiet Flame —
Where God — and Truth — and Inner Light —
Outshine the Courts through Him —
Last night my son stirred
between half wake and sleep.
I stroked his soft hair,
And I kissed his small cheek.
He said, “Mummy, these cuddles
tonight were the best”
and wished for forever
with him in our nest.
When a baby arrives
through the heart of their mother,
they’re laid on your chest —
you belong to each other.
There’s no room for choices,
for burnout or fear.
Your instinct is roaring:
just keep them near.
But life slowly loosens
the threads as they grow.
Your heart doesn’t want to,
your mind must let go.
They trust other people,
They want to explore.
New voices will teach them —
And guard every door.
When the nights feel too quiet,
the silence too deep,
I’ll remember that whisper
between half wake and sleep —
how he held me so close
in his small dreaming world,
and for one perfect moment,
love quietly unfurled.
I counted stars behind the glass,
while prayers like feathers fell—
each strike of ruler, each cold heart,
was heaven’s tolling bell.
They said my silence was a sin,
my dreams a devil’s tongue,
but I could hear the world within,
the songs the atoms sung.
The floor was stone, the hours long,
my fingers traced the air—
a symphony of light and wrong,
and mercy, unaware.
They could not cage what they could not see,
nor burn the crystal mind—
for I was born of mystery,
and truth they left behind.
Now still I walk in measured grace,
through corridors of pain,
and every bruise became a place
where stars return again.
Adam
My great
Grandson
Is a
Special
Needs child.
Unique.
Hard for
Him to
Connect,
Talk or
Play with
Others.
Few speak.
Struggles
To talk.
Afraid
Of dogs
And cats.
I love
My dove.
My boy
I do
So, Spoil.
He loves
His small
iPad.
True love.
9/3/2025
Autism is always a hard pill to swallow,
Like planting a bullet on the skull
Drifted from life's wonders
As if I've slipped away.
Stigmatized like a cockroach
And knocked back from footy.
With my body soiled and discoloured
Embarrassed and humiliated on the face.
Mama asked me about school
Hoping it was okay,
Yet its darkness doesn't fade away
Like living in the bull pit of Sam Hill.
Then I get angry and fond of the bottle
Having nothing but doubt and shame,
As if suicide is a way out of the pain
And lifting the pressure off my chest.
Merry go round a circle of dreams
Friends are found as we journey
To find a place where you can esteem
Climb magic mountains of hope
Where you grow like a tree
(Chorus)
A———————————A is for Amazing
U———————-You are amazing to me
T——————————Teal timeless faces
I————————I see you in everything
S——————-Sunny sails singing songs
T——————Teal tears never shed alone
I—Indigo eyes black brown blue or green
C——See courage beauty autistic dream
Tattoo my heart with a star of youth
Forever change my spirit I love you I do
Bright sunny delight red flowers bloom
Love makes us rise jump high as the moon
Repeat chorus end
I'm sorry I'm autistic,
That I don't fit your expectations,
I'm different, I know,
But that doesn't mean I don't belong.
I may rock,
I may cry,
But I try and try,
To be normal in a world full of expectations.
But I'm different,
I know,
So I'll make my own normal.
I'm sorry I'm autistic,
But I will never change.
To the child autism it is like being in this very deep well. You scream to be let out but no one can hear you. Your alone and so frustrated that no one can hear you
So lonely, so dark
Love is the light. Shine on the child brightly
For when he emerges from that well. That child of autism will become a beautiful flower. From a caterpillar to a butterfly
I live in a translucent room with no door
It has
floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Like a two-way mirror
I can see out
But nobody can see in
I am trapped!
My life
is like a hut
in the middle of Daedalus finest maze
he built for King Minos of Crete.
There is no way in
And no way out.
I have tried to escape
But to no avail
I'm forever getting lost.
My mind
Has grown selfish over the years
there's no one to think about
and no one to care about
Just me
lost in this labyrinth of my mind
for where there is no escape.
Like a tortoise
I carry my world around with me in my shell.
I’m sorry I’m autistic,
That I don’t fit your expectations,
I’m different I know,
But doesn’t mean I don’t belong.
I may rock,
I may cry,
I may try and try,
To be normal in a world full of expectations.
But I’m autistic,
So I’ll make my own normal,
I’m sorry I’m autistic,
That I don’t fit your expectations
Somebody please cry over this song with me
Finally found out why
I felt so different for years
Why I felt like I was
always outside looking in
Why my communication
skills were never the best
It only took 43 years of
my life for someone
to confirm this for me
That Autistic is what
I definitely am
I don’t see it as a bad thing
Just an explanation of why
I was so different from
everyone else
It explains why I am not
a leader but always
the follower
Which can get you in
trouble just as well
I’m not mad it took
people this long to figure it out
It’s not doctors fault
they knew nothing about autism
in 1987 when I was going
through tests for dyslexia
and learning disabilities
I am autistic and I’m proud
I support those like me
and love to help them out
I am autistic and I don’t care
what other people think
I am autistic so just deal with it
Every autistic human being deserves to walk amongst all of society, including me. No one can ever cure us for autism; we just want people to understand us. This cold and heartless world we, as autistic human beings, live in right now should already know that autism exists everywhere and the entire world should be aware of this. It's unfair that the world thinks that all of us autistic are broken or crazy and it's definitely unfair that this heartless world thinks that we're not "normal." Well, I say to all the naysayers that we're all extraordinary; we've got jobs, we go to college, and everything else any "normal" person would do. We autistics aren't charity cases this not-so-sweet world thinks we are and the world will not, or will ever, think of us that way. All of us autistics aren't going anywhere, we are staying right here with all of society and and every autistic human being, including me, definitely deserve to live prosperous lives like everybody else. I hope the world understands autism as other people do.
She’s not right.
She has something wrong with her.
She has a screw loose.
She’s got problems.
What is wrong with him?
How do we fix that?
I am no doctor but….
Having several issues myself, I am
Hypersensitive to these kinds of
Statements.
Yet I hear them all the time.
Yesterday a substitute teacher called
Me, and I figured she was saying this
In front of the entire class, “I am calling
About Henrydexter. What is wrong with him?”
I was instantly ready to run down there
With my sword. When you have been the victim,
You recognize the bullies faster than others.
Written 11-30-2018 Contest: I of the Storm
Sponsor: Maureen McGreavy
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