Emergence by Nicole Nicholson

“Autism is a gift, disguised as a dilemma.”
- Sharisa Kochmeister, as quoted in the autism documentary Loving Lampposts

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this blog as well as on my other blog Woman With Asperger’s, I am an Aspie — an adult with Asperger Syndrome. Asperger Syndrome is considered an autism spectrum condition. The debate rages on about what separates it from other conditions on the autism spectrum, such as classic autism; however, the current thought is that a person with Asperger Syndrome may not suffer delays in spoken language (unlike classic autism, in which the child may not speak until age three or later). Whether this dividing line is accurate remains to be seen.

With that being said, I consider Asperger Syndrome, as well as autism spectrum conditions in general, to be neurological differences as opposed to disorders or diseases. Also, I believe very much in the concept of neurodiversity — the idea that many neurological conditions are natural states of being and that there are positive advantages to being “wired” differently. While I do not doubt that there are many difficulties or challenges faced by individuals on the spectrum, I tend to agree with Ms. Kochmeister: autism has both its gifts as well as its challenges. I know this all too well.

Through this blog, I have already invited you into my world. This page is dedicated to the poetry I have written about not only about my particular autistic/Asperger experience, but about autism and Asperger’s Syndrome as a whole.  Dear Reader, I hope you find the poetry enlightening and that you may gain some understanding of what autism or Asperger’s is like. Please feel free to leave comments on any of the poems or this page.

Poems:

• “You Don’t See It” (featured by Awe in Autism)
• “How to Paint the Mona Lisa“
• “Dust“
• “Unravel“
• “Box“
• “Letter to my Father“
• “Dear Earthling“
• “Back Door Blues“
• “Fifteen“
• “The Way Back Home“
• “Pretending to Be Normal“
• “Color (A Modest Plea)” (published in Shift Journal)
• “Lamppost Hierophant” (published in Shift Journal)
• “A Theology of an Autistic Body” (published in qarrtsiluni)
• “High School Jungle” (published in Hyperlexia Journal)
• “Threads” (written for Autistics Speaking Day 2011)
• “This Is Not Magic“
• “A Study in Color“
• “Pele Courts Vishnu, In Human Form“
• “Holes“
• “Glass and Concrete“
• “Pavements“