In a world that sought conformity,
I stood apart, different from the rest.
Unique strengths and qualities, unseen,
Stomped into the ground, suppressed.

Too shy, too sensitive, I moved askew,
Speaking a language others couldn’t grasp.
Unaccepted, I yearned to be understood,
they tried to mold me with another ‘s cast.

They wanted me to be a second-rate version,
Of those who didn’t seem to like me anyway.
But human progress thrives on diverse thought,
Yet they stifled it, day by day.

Why are our children, stripped of their unique glow,
Made indistinguishable from their peers.
A loss for the world, a vibrant light dimmed,
Erasing what makes them pioneers.

I used to flap, my spirit taking flight,
Feeling the joy of soaring high.
But they told me to stop, to hold it tight,
Punished and traumatized, I wondered why.

Flapping, spinning, expressions of delight,
They brought me solace, a comforting space.
Take a moment now, let your hands take flight,
Feel the freedom, embrace its grace.

Sick and tired of techniques that claim success,
By making us blend into the crowd.
A typical disguise, normalize, they profess,
instead, authenticity should be endowed.

No child should be shamed for who they are,
Their true selves are hidden, pushed away.
Instead of masks, let’s build a world,
Where every child can play, can sway.

Want to make us indistinguishable, they say?
Then let the “normal” kids join in.
Flapping, spinning, celebrating each day,
Embrace the joy, and let authenticity begin.

So, take a chance, open your heart and mind,
Embrace the beauty of neurodiversity’s grace.
For in acceptance, understanding we find,
A world where all can thrive, in our unique space.