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.