I have had my fingers burn with crimson delight,
electricity climbing nerves like a zig-zag bandit
to the top, tips glowing like thunderstorm light
proudly proclaiming desire. From there, the glow becomes
contagious, ever spreading throughout my
expanse of skin until I bloom, effulgent and dangerous –
I rage and flow inside every Cimmerian night.
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Tag Archives: asperger
A Day on the Spectrum: October 9, 2011
A Day on the Spectrum
October 9, 2011
The Curious Cup
Carpinteria, CA
Artists scheduled to appear include poet Sydney Edmond, visual artist Dani Bowman, and Arrest My Sister (with lead singer Scott Spiegel, who is on the spectrum) will be appearing. Click here for a flyer with more information about the exhibit.
New Video Version of “You Don’t See It” on Youtube
The newest version of the video for my poem, “You Don’t See It”, is now available on Youtube. This is the version that first aired at the April 2, 2011 Awe in Autism Live Event. Included in the video is some of my own artwork specially created for the poem. Watch below. I hope you like it. 
My Poem, “A Theology of An Autistic Body” Published in qarrtsiluni
Hellow RWP Readers!
My poem, “A Theology of an Autistic Body“, was published yesterday in qarrtsiluni. You can also hear me reading the poem on the podcast for that day on its website.
Qarrtsiluni is an online journal of poetry, prose, and art which publishes themed issues each quarter, with one poem/piece of prose/piece of artwork per day during each issue. This poem was published as part of the imprisonment issue — the contributors for that issue examine the idea of confinement, either voluntarily or involuntarily. “A Theology”, for me, is a statement about the sometimes voluntarily withdrawal that I sometimes need as an adult with Asperger’s Syndrome.
So, go check it out…as well as the rest of the fine pieces in the latest issue
NaPoWriMo Poem #13: Pretending to Be Normal (Eye Contact)
If you try to look into my eyes
you might succeed, if only for a moment
until I feel your gaze incise
and my skin wires buzz with too much current.
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Putting the Awe in Autism: My Poem on TV and Other Thoughts
First, an announcement: an excerpt of the video of my poem, “You Don’t See It”, was featured in a Long Island TV FIOS segment about Awe In Autism.
The segment has been posted on MyLITV’s website in two videos. Part 1 features Awe In Autism, its founders (Deborah French and Kim Covell), and some of the work featured on the site, include the excerpt of my poem. Part 2 features “for dylan”, a song and music video which the founders call “the song behind the Awe in Autism” project.
In and amongst this bit of news and self-promotion, I feel the need to express a couple of things. First of all, if I haven’t said it before, my thanks and gratitude go to Awe in Autism for giving the opportunity for my poetry, namely “You Don’t See It”, to be featured on their site. AWE has given many autistic artists, musicians, poets, and others an opportunity to have their work seen, heard, and accessed. Also, as Kim Covell states in the first video, artists with autism often have a harder time self-promoting, and while I’ve gotten used to it thanks to the Internet, I must say I still find the task daunting sometimes. I am grateful for the opportunity for my work to reach a wider audience and go beyond this blog thanks to AWE.
Secondly, as I have said before, “You Don’t See It” is probably my best statement and expression to the world of what having Aspergers/being autistic is like. The experience of self-discovery and acceptance has been joyful and at times painful and overwhelming — but probably the most significant thing I could say is that is has been enlightening. And through it all, the craft of writing and poetry have been a conduit and a means for this journey.
Writing is my native language. I am much, much better at the written word than I am at oral communication: there are times that my tongue fails, but praise God my pen does not. This is part of my reality as an autistic person, and is true for many others. The poetry helps me say what sometimes my lips cannot. I hope I have given you, the readers of RWP, at least a glimpse or a peek at what that reality — and my reality as a whole — is. I also hope that through the poetry on this page that I have reached you, moved you, made you think, and most of all, made you feel.
Finally, please consider not only watching the videos of the segment but visiting Awe in Autism to see the vast, wonderful spectrum of art by creative and talented autistic individuals. I can promise you that you will not be disappointed, but amazed at the breadth of expression the site has to offer.
Saludos,
Nicole
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Stumble It!
Attention Autistic Writers/Poets! Call for Submissions (Journeys With Autism)
Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg, author of the Journeys With Autism blog, is welcoming submissions for an upcoming anthology of poetry and prose by people on the autism spectrum aged 35 and over. She says below:
I welcome all pieces of writing about your feelings about being autistic, your experiences, your sense of yourself, your view of the world, your work history, your relationship with your family, or any other area of interest to you. You can write about your life pre- or post-diagnosis, you can share your experiences as a child or as an adult, and you can take a personal and/or a political point of view. The possibilities are as varied as your feelings, perceptions, and life experiences.
I welcome submissions from those who are self-diagnosed as well as from those with an “official” diagnosis.
The deadline for submissions is March 31, 2011. Pieces must be emailed to rachel AT journeyswithautism DOT com. For further information and submission guidelines, please visit her call for submissions page.
-Nicole
Feature on Awe In Autism’s Website
Greetings, RWP Readers!
Due to illness, I have been offline for a while — and while I was away, I was featured on Awe In Autism’s website!
Awe In Autism seeks to “provide inspiration and encouragement to those impacted by autism…through original works of art, music, literature, poetry, photography and video, as well as many other resources”. They feature artists of all kinds on the spectrum. I was prompted to submit my work after winning the ANCA award. My poem, “You Don’t See It”, is featured on the site:
http://www.aweinautism.org/index.php/gallery/poetry/169-poet-nicole-nicholson
-Nicole
Stumble It!
NaPoWriMo Poem #28: Letter to My Father
Dear Dad: have you ever seen the
burning blade, the straight edge of a knife’s
tongue? From this, we are branded with bruises. This silence,
this tradition of disguise, is a generational curse,
a baton passed from Grandma to you to
me – and I am still running.
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NaPoWriMo Poem #26: Box
There is a box. It is
wooden, a mistreated servant made out of
rot and blood stains. It holds
some of my years, the ones where
the mirror looked like broken teeth and empty
bedrooms. Sycamore legs that looked like
fear, shaking and stripped of bark to show
the white underneath. Prom nights, spent at home,
full of wishes that I could emerge, full-winged, instead of
an earthbound thing, soft and hairy, many-legged, with a upturned belly
like a dog’s fear gone white and asking for teeth. And a
tattered gospel, its chapter and verse preached to me
in slaps and insults.
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