The following statements and questions were originally submitted to a panel of people with autism on a BBC Three video entitled ‘Things Not to Say to an Autistic Person,’ which you can view here In this blog post, I give my answers. ‘You don’t look autistic.’ I’m very sorry about that, I’ll go and get … More Autism – Debunking some common myths
Forget once It will be remarked upon There’s no spell will work You don’t count Why? No answer given Other than ‘you failed’ And no-one even thinks to ask Out of sight, out of mind Pain in the dark, The deaf leading the blind
Write the book Get it down Capture the ideas Imprison them in inky black pixels Freezing on the screen So that others, who never met you Can learn, discover and be inspired Write the book Now that the old quest is dead And a new one must take its place To stop the rat-tooth of … More Poem – Write the Book
Here’s what I do I obfuscate – I avoid I run and hide From all all conflict, all people All desire I paint abstract canvasses Because I lack the skill To pin people to a board I give you snapshots Because I can’t recall the full tour I am best when I am bleary-eyed Narrow-focused … More Poem – Here’s What I Do
Hot, tight, crushPeople proliferateSense-head noise Ice, isolationPolarising glassSlide away, slide Arrive drunk, they do,Make sense, neverCommunication fails Weave a homeA life, or –A mind It’s best whenEveryone thereGoes away Cloud rain burstWet, longcoatProtects, home – tea Feel pain, soreBack throat scratchTears fail One clear directionStraight line, paradiseUnsuccesful The sea white –Grey, painting detailsWhale emerges An … More Poems – Haikus
If I had a spaceship I’d rocket back in time And pull you out Before the black star collapsed And pulled you in I’d give you a spacesuit of your own Put a helmet on your head And whisk you off across space And we’d share all the adventures together Even if I could not … More Poem – Rescue
Hat Drops Rules Change No Warning Given Hat Drops Rules WEREALWAYSTHEREANDWHYCANTYOUBENORMALIKEVERYONE Else Hat Drops ATTHEDROPOFAFUCKINGHAT ANDSENSORYOVERLOADTHREATENSTOIMPLODE On impact
There were books And there was music And everything happened Every day in exactly the same way And there were no people The word was a beautiful icicle Which never required you to respond to anything Or to change to please anyone And each day, neutrality was all one could feel And nothing hurt any … More Poem – The Autistic Gaze
Recently, I celebrated my 40th birthday. It’s an age I never thought I’d see and it’s not because I’ve led a particularly wild or dangerous life – I haven’t. People may joke about the perils of sex and drugs and rock and roll, but for me there’s been very little of the first two and … More Essay – Life Starts Here
‘Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards.’ (Soren Kirkegaard) I have undergone assessment for Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and this is part four of my diagnostic journey. You can read part three here What’s special about April 22nd? Not much, really. The 112th day of the year is the day … More All About Me (Part Four) – My ASD Diagnostic Journey
A Listful of Horrors 