She cuts deep
She cuts often

If she doesn't find hope soon,
she'll lay in coffin.

This delicious dish!
So full of wonder and taste.
Layers of sauce, cheese, onions
with grounded beef and penne.

A stroll by the kitchen
is a heavenly moment.
The smell of it baking,
Oh, the anticipation swells within me!

One long sniff
can inspire great dreams,
and one bite,
can cure the misery
of a cold dreary day.

The puzzle is never solved.
They are looked at and pointed at
by children who don't know
that we're supposed to pity them.

Oh Son, Oh Daughter
they have Autism!
Oh, I feel so bad!

The straight jackets and shocks
have turned to stares and mocks.

They didn't to choose to be born this way
a piece of a puzzle that doesn't fit.

We look at them and thank God that its
not us.
Its not me.
But the indifference doesn't work.
We thank God that its not us.

But do we ever feel any empathy?
If you could imagine having a retardation
never really fully understanding anything

A chromosomal abnormality that would
affect your whole life forever.

Having to be watched
always having someone taking care of you
you would never have any independence.

Autism seemed to be their name
"he's Autistic"
It wasn't their name.
There is much more to them.

These people used to be tortured
people thought that they had a demon inside of them
that we had to get out.

What we never realized was that
the real demon was us.

For no reason he starts screaming
Then begins to hit you
Shouting for no given purpose
He will begin to bite himself

It is then as nothing happened
He plays with an electronic game
Something then will disrupt him
So begins punching himself in the head

He will not wait his turn
Even when others are already speaking
So starts to bite himself once more
Shouting out threatening behaviour

You can never try to tell him off
It will only make him worse
He believes he is only allowed to shout
He will never understand what you say

The throwing of things will then commence
Showing you outrage and anger
Comes up and shouts in your face
Followed by slapping and hitting you

Then it will all suddenly stop
Begins talking nicely to you
Talking non-stop about his cars
He will then put them all in a line

Come and ask for a cuddle
Not even remember what just happened
For an hour or two he talks politely
You dare not try to change the subject

Never try to break his routine
For he will start swearing at you
Everything will start all over again
Because he will never understand change

He even hates his baby sister
Because he needs all the attention
He has no understanding of sharing
Or how to ever show fair play

He is locked away in his own world
Expects everyone to know what he is thinking
He can not even dress himself
But he has a perfect photographic memory

Others will never come to realise
They will only think the worst of him
They call him names behind his back
All because he is a little different

Autistic children may be a challenge
But remember, they are still children
All they need is understanding
So, will you love him?

copyright Chris Smith 2012
For children with Autism/Asperger's Syndrome

I descended slowly so long ago.
The memory of how
and why it began floated
away with the flotsom on
the warm surface currents.

On the frigid sea floor of my mind
crushed beneath the pressure
of liquid self loathing.
A kingdom of cold piercing
darkness was my domain
and there I stayed.

"Please, come back."
Her words echoed in the depth.
And it began.

A slow ascension passed the
darkened depth through murky grey.
The grasping demons that preyed
on my spirit lost their hold as I rose
beyond their reach.

Faster I climbed.
My soul expanded with every passing meter.
Pushing away all that held me down
and breached the warm wavy surface
where it all began.

Golden rays and azure blue skies
fill my sight as I float with the current.
Miles from shore with hope as my
only compass.

The journey to my redemption now begins
with you as my guide.

~~~


KCsPoetryContest  depression  recovery

my strength lies beneath the skin
it's inside my bones
it's the sway of my hips
it's the smile in my *******
and it roots from my soul

I am woman, you know

the doctors tell me I'll never be
the nurses tell me I've never been
they say I'll never hear my baby cry
and then God says, "guess again"

I am woman, you know

the pain is a most definite promise
and as I grit my teeth I know
the promise is always unsure
and yet here I stand defeating odds
being what you told me
I could never ever be
who says there isn't any cure?

After all,
I am woman, you know