Boy: Poems by Rosie Greco
Childhood
He doesn’t like anybody else’s eyes
to pierce his, and he only asks
“How are you?” When he wants to know.
It isn’t often.
He likes to be alone, and watch
the shadows of the morning
creep across his bedroom wall.
Sometimes his mother comes
and stands in the corner of his bedroom
and cries at his stillness – if the patterns
are too fascinating, he doesn’t see her there
until she shakes him away from the moment.
He sees a lot of doctors.
They give him extra homework with tick-boxes
Ask “how is school?” and frowns when he says
His favourite part is hiding in the cloakroom –
The pressure of coats above him, their scent.
And nobody tells him he is not diseased
or that one day it won’t matter that he cannot
kick a ball in the right direction,
that he doesn’t care for hooting in the playground.
The children back away when he comes near.
They talk of germs. He wonders if they’ll catch what he has
and whether life will be more peaceful then.
Adolescence
He’s never really wanted to join their world
The swarms of noise and bodies frightened him,
He stayed away, but now he can’t help watching
these creatures who talk in an illogical code
insult each other, merciless, call it fun,
treat those who they dislike with courtesy.
He watches like a scientist watching a tribe
Trying to puzzle out their strange behaviour
statements which flow from each other don’t quite follow
They seem to answer questions no-one asks.
Like reading minds. His mum says they read faces.
There must be some innate science about it.
To know the meaning of a raised eyebrow
to within a millimeter’s accuracy.
It seems the only thing he cannot measure
It’s like they’re dancing with words, he decides
A dance his mind just isn’t made to learn
Graceful, intricate, impossibly skilled
Pretty to watch, but ultimately pointless
Rosie Greco is taking a degree in English with Creative Writing, and has just finished studying at Lancaster University. She is a volunteer for the Outsiders’ Network, is about to begin training as an E-befriender for the National Autistic Society, and has also volunteered at an animal sanctuary. She has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and quite enjoys being different! Rosie loves to help people, and is looking for a career in supporting others.
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