POEM: I May Not Look At You But I am Listening, I May Not Talk but I am Responding

A note from the Poet, Wesley Loh:

This Poem is dedicated to my beloved autism community. I intend to capture/express some of things we go through inside us. 

To our non-speaking autistics counterparts:
We feel your pain of the misconceptions people have of you. It is tough living in a world where your way of communication is different from the mainstream. 

This poems also seeks to be a voice for you to some extent (especially the 2nd segment), debunking common myths of non-speaking autistics and helping the world understand the inner thoughts and feelings that are going on inside you that you otherwise don't vocalise. 

Given that I am a speaking autistic, I don't think my poem does justice to fully represent you and your thoughts, but do know I tried my best and that we are all a part of each other as fellow autistics from the same beloved community. The Neurodiversity Movement need not divide us, on the contrary, it unites us!

Title: I May Not Look At You But I am Listening, I May Not Talk but I am Responding

By Wesley Loh

I may not look at you and make contact with your eyes

But I am listening, our conversation is not jeopardized 

I may not express my feelings, but internally with you I empathise

Be it in joy or sadness, laughter or cries

It may seem my thoughts I don't vocalise

But it does not mean nothing is in my mind, for it may be actively in exercise

Processing all that is happening, observing while in my brain I analyse 

I may look lonely, but don't assume I don't want to socialise

You can be kind if you don't ostracise

But instead allow us to join your companionships and ties

We are Neurodivergent, but it is Diversity that adds to life a lot of spice

Being a non-speaking autistic does NOT make me unintelligent and unwise

I could be having a lot of thoughts and feelings being internalised

Though I might not be able to verbalise

I have other ways of communicating, if only you could recognise

Give me a chance to express myself in non-speaking ways, and you may be surprised

To see that in fact my thoughts are crystallised

I may be inside a body that is seemingly paralysed

But it does not mean my mind and 5 senses cannot with the environment sychronise

So please don't just talk to my parent only while ignoring me, as if my presence was only fantasized

I am human like you, I can feel, comprehend and empathise

Everyday I try so hard to live my life, from sunrise to sunrise

I dream of an environment that allows autistics to shine and thrive

Allowing our strengths and talent to optimise

Some even have won noble prize

What we need is for you to be accepting, not to pity and sympathise

May we continue to spread the message of autism acceptance and evangelise

And break away the idea of being stigmatised

That no one will be marginalised 

May Neurodiversity be normalised

That the potential of all kinds of minds may be actualised