Inside Inspiration

You Don't Know Autism Written by Justin Mothorpe

You don’t know Autism,
Because if you did, you’d know how it feels
To not open your mouth for fear of what comes out,
And, simply because of being unable to respond correctly,
You would be afraid of arguments and being teased.

You don’t know Autism,
Because if you did, you’d know how it feels
To feel left behind on every assignment, and every project you do.
If you knew, you’d know how hard it is to keep up with others,
When it is hard enough to do things on your own.

You don’t know Autism,
Because if you did, you’d know how it feels,
The difficulty of making small talk,
And that of making simple conversation.

You don’t know Autism,
Because if you did, you’d know how it feels,
To be grouped in with ‘those’ kids,
You know the ones;
The screechers
The squeakers
Whatever you call them,
And you’d know how much it hurts
To be insulted
When someone calls one of ‘those’ kids autistic.

If you knew Autism, you’d have it,
As I certainly do.

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