Covid 19 Poem

Walls you build

Between maskers and unmaskers

Trumpers and Bideners.

Between students and teachers

Grandparents and grandchildren.

You infect us with your poison  

It destroys cells and society

You show no mercy.

The weak are vanquished. 

The rest are bereaved 

Their lives are coming apart. 

 

A virus not seen

How are you so powerful? 

Rocking

My body loves to sway.
Motion calms me every day.

Mean to make my body still.
But my body's nature fights my will.

Music all around me really moves me to its rhythm.
I freely filter my world as light separates through a prism.

Flowing notes give way to good beats.
My hands must tap a jumping repeat.

Being lost in waves of healing.
Music is felt in each fiber of my being.

Copyright 2017 Philip Reyes.  All rights reserved.

Autism is My World

by Philip

Autism is often feared
but I am not to be feared.

Many people try to cure us
but autism cannot be cured.

Autism is seeing so many details I have to look away
but it is seeing beauty in the smallest of details.

Autism is hearing everything loudly all at once
but it is listening to others well.

Autism is a body out of control sometimes
but it is feeling my world with all my senses fully aroused.

Autism is sometimes a burden
but I can love freely and feel loved.

Autism means many things are difficult for me
but being autistic is all I know.

Autism is my life
and my life is really worth living.

Copyright 2017 Philip Reyes.  All rights reserved.

In My Head

By Brayden

IN MY HEAD

IN MY HEAD I AM THINKING.

I AM THINKING ABOUT MY LIFE BEFORE I FOUND MY VOICE.

BEFORE I COULD EXPRESS MY THOUGHTS.

BEFORE I COULD TALK ABOUT MY THOUGHTS.

BEFORE I COULD EXPRESS MY FEARS.

BEFORE I COULD FEEL A PART OF THE WORLD.

BEFORE I COULD TALK ABOUT MY FAVORITES.

BEFORE I COULD TALK ABOUT WHAT I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT.

BEFORE I COULD TALK ABOUT INTERESTING THINGS.

BEFORE I HAD FANTASTIC FRIENDS.

BEFORE I COULD TELL MY MOM HOW MUCH I LOVE HER AND HOW THANKFUL I AM TO HAVE HER IN MY LIFE.

BEFORE I COULD TELL MY DAD HOW MUCH I LOVE HIM AND I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE THE BEST DAD EVER.

BEFORE I COULD TELL MY TWO SISTERS HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM AND HOW INCREDIBLE THEY ARE.

BEFORE I COULD TELL MY GRANDMA HOW MUCH I LOVE HER AND HOW THANKFUL I AM TO HAVE SUCH A INCREDIBLE GRANDMA LIKE HER.

BEFORE I COULD HAVE A OPINION AND TALK ABOUT IT.

BEFORE I COULD HAVE INCREDIBLE FRIENDS WHO I CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

I COULD NEVER DO ANY OF THESE THINGS BECAUSE I CANNOT SPEAK WITH MY MOUTH.  

I DIDN’T HAVE A WAY TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY.  

MY PARENTS TRIED MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO HELP ME COMMUNICATE.  

THE ONLY THING THAT WORKED WAS RPM (RAPID PROMPTING METHOD).  

I FINALLY FOUND MY VOICE AND I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER.

By Brayden

Brayden is 9 years old and lives in Ontario, Canada with his parents, 2 sisters, his dog and his service dog Gusto.  He is low speaking and communicates by pointing letter by letter to spell his thoughts out on a letterboard.  He has been doing RPM for a year and a half.  He is on a mission to change the stigma of autism and to spread the word about RPM so all autistics can have a voice.  He loves writing on his blog, Life with a boy named Brayden. 

Sports Please Me

Guest Blog by Liam Paquin

Skating Pleases Day and Me

skating pleases day

day pleases skating

fun gliding across the ice

after pleases fun

gliding fun across the ice

makes me feel free and light

I feel free gliding across the ice and pleases me

By Liam Paquin

A note from Liam’s Mom:

Liam is a 15 year-old super fun, full of life, and very active Autistic. He learned to communicate 1 1/2 years ago using RPM.  Before that, Liam could use speech to get his basic needs met, but couldn't show people who he really is- a very insightful and intelligent young person. Being able to spell on a letter board to express his true thoughts has been life changing. Today he has a job as an advocate for social justice in education, is taking grade level high school classes and making all A's, is running on a cross country and track team with typical peers, and showing all who know him that autism is not what people think!

Liam is super excited to see Philip take on the sport of ice skating. Liam began skating when he was around 8 or 9 years old. It is one of his favorite pastimes and brings him tremendous joy and sense of community.  He is a fixture at the rink- loved and supported by all the "regulars." We've always known that there was something regulating about skating for Liam but got the chance to hear from him about it when he chose skating as the topic for his very first stab at writing a poem! Skating not only brings him tremendous joy, it's also paved the way for other sports such as skiing. I highly recommend getting kids with autism involved in sports. Sports have given Liam membership in communities, a full, rich life, a great way to spend his free time, and great improvement in motor skills! It has not always been easy. It has taken a lot of time and work. But seeing his independence and huge smile as he whizzes around the rink makes it all worth it!

Wordsmith Jack

Today’s guest blogger is 13 year-old Jack Kelly from Bagenalstown, County Carlow Ireland.  He describes his speech as sounding like a radio all mixed up.  RPM has allowed him to communicate his true intentions.  Jack has been doing RPM for 2 and-a-half years.  He enjoys writing stories and poetry.  He and his family are so grateful to Soma, Erika, Amy, and Alex for helping him find his voice.  

Yesterday

Y esterday inside myself calls the little boy who could not speak. He was very sad because autism stole his very sound. Noise hurt his ears and made him angry causing hitting himself again and again.

E ducation has transformed my life and given that little boy inside myself a way to communicate.

S tolen voice now recovered the little boy inside myself speaks changing silence and sadness into happyness,  No looking back only forward .

T he world became a better place and I changed my mind about having autism because now I can communicate .

E ach time I meet someone with autism I wish they could tell their little child within about RPM . Noise is the worst thing people with autism have to process, children crying hurts me the most.

R eading out loud is very hard for me.  I can read best to myself. Very often people think I don’t actually know how to read.  The same with maths, I can do hard maths .

D ay after day I learned drills blindly, flash cards, choices each day like a robot stuck on a program.

A lmost  loosing myself gently, knowledge thoughts never acknowledged dreams called foolish.

Y esterday is gone, today is here I dream someday children with autism find a voice.

By Jack Kelly

IRELAND

Ireland stands alone in a sea of wild Atlantic waves her shores grown ragged by the unrelenting winds.

Rivers wind through her land from mountain springs to anglers delight as they look with anticipation at their rods waiting for a bite.

Eire she is called by her children in the native language with love and honor.

Land of saints and scholars dreamers and the young at heart.

At her heart is her people strong and proud.

Nations from around the world owe her thanks for giving them her children to build and serve them making them strong also.

Daylight breaks and beautiful ancient ruins are revealed and her history is brought to life, Irish history is woven with stories and fables of ancient times and generations of Irish people.

By Jack Kelly