Poetry is a powerful tool. It’s one of the oldest forms of self-expression that can easily cause a stir of emotions just with a few words, and one kid is using that tool to share just what it’s like to be him.
Benjamin Giroux, a 10-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome, was given a homework assignment to write a poem.
He saw it as an opportunity to pour out his deepest emotions on how it feels to be like him — different.
His poem entitled “I am,” is simple yet heart-wrenching.
“I hear voices in the air, I see you don’t and that’s not fair,” reads Benjamin’s poem. “I want to not feel blue, I am odd, I am new, I pretend tat you are too.”
“I feel like a boy in outer space, I touch the stars and feel out of place.”
“I say I, “feel like a castaway”, I dream of a day that that’s okay. I try to fit in. I hope that someday I do. I am odd, I am new.”
As one commenter said, “[It’s] so important to hear Benjamin’s voice and celebrate our diversity. We all have something so amazingly unique to offer the world.”