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| his world, his way |
the hazy dream
in my sleepy dreams, he can speak clearly as any other child
in our hazy wakeful days, he can not
he is blond, and blue eyed and thirteen and he is silent
he smiles, he laughs, he giggles and sometimes frowns
the way everyone, anyone can understand him
he walks, he runs, he jumps the way everyone, anyone can
but he doesn't give hugs, he taps his forehead gently to mine
when i ignore his mands, the way a distracted mother would
he frames his face close to mine, and stares intensively into my eyes
he gets my attention, the way the workers get his
he takes my arm, leads me to his desired tact, but still he cannot say it,
name it, describe the object at the tip of his finger
an approximation is all i will hear, i will struggle to understand,
i will attempt to form the word for him, to model the sounds
he will smile coyly, he will giggle softly, he will take the thing...
walk or maybe run to play with it in his imagined way.
And i will smile, i will curse, i will wonder out loud
when will the powers that be, step up their values,
open their minds, reach for his potential
and give him a 'voice' that we can all understand,
everywhere, every time
and if they won't do it, how do i?
before he gives up trying
~ell
