I am Autistic
Oluseyi Ogunbanwo@oluseyiogunbanwo018093
3 days ago
I Am Autistic
I am autistic.
Misunderstood,
bewildering to many a man;
an object of pity to some,
distasteful to the squeamish,
reprehensible to the fastidious.
My actions are questioned,
my manner strange to the discerning.
Yet look beyond my outward ways;
though my conduct may appear queer,
judge me by my instincts,
and not merely by my actions.
For by actions
many shall recoil in disgust,
and I shall not be justified.
I understand myself.
My thoughts are known to me;
my instincts are true,
and my decisions I comprehend.
Grant me grace,
for I know what is right.
Yet within me dwells a force
that drives beyond restraint,
dragging me beneath
the rigid morals of society.
I strive toward what is right,
yearning to be accepted,
yet I am measured continually
by a world with little patience
for error or misdemeanor.
So my behaviour is examined
through the cold lens
of custom, morality, and social norms,
without regard for my condition.
“Get out!” they shout.
“Leave this place!” they growl.
“How dare you touch that?” they bark.
And so I am driven away
with sharp rebuke,
met with scornful faces
and contemptuous disdain.
If only you could see
the burden of my condition.
If only you could understand my plight.
Wear the garment of empathy.
Perhaps a little patience,
a little restraint,
a little love,
might soften your judgment of me.
-Oluseyi Ogunbanwo
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