Metamorphosis

Scholastic Writing Contest, 2020
Honorable Mention

I am autistic, 
Greedy eyes and ears,
Wet in the rain of sensory deluge.

I'm a poet,
Exploring the world with keen senses,
Sharing with you a bite of fresh air.

I've been a paralytic, 
Feet stuck to the street,
People swirling around me.

I'm a listener, 
Watching and receiving
Like a peaceful tree.    

I've been a slave, 
Strapped to my obsessions
Ordering me to do nonsense, perverse to my character.

I’m a tiger tamer,
Harnessing the energy of my compulsions
To write one more line.

I've been a prisoner, 
Captured in silence,
Voiceless and unintelligible.

I'm an escapee, 
Flying my soul like a kite
On a string of words.