Happy WDC B-Day!

The description for this poem caught my attention. I have a 6 year old autistic son, and every now and then, I like to catch a glimpse of what other parents have experienced.

Generally, I focus poetry reviews on technique and improvement, but that is difficult to do for this piece because I relate to the meaning so much.

The piece reads like a very personal description of your daughter. There is love and meaning in the lines that I understand only peripherally. If I wrote a similar poem about my son, the details would be just as quirky. His interests are so distinct.

I also got the feeling that some of the wording might be the precise way she phrases things. I found it endearing.

"Limited interests
But so much in depth
Full on knowledge
Of just these few subjects
Randomly lining up objects
No particular order
Except to you"

This might as well have been written about my son too. He obsesses over the strangest things. Right now, it is Star Trek, of all things. Books have always been his favorite toys too, and when he was younger, he loved lining up Dr. Seuss books, face down, and always in the same order that seemed to be half based on size and partially based on color. Who knows really... except for him.

I love the sentiment at the end too. The "autistic" label doesn't mean all that much. Children are children. They have personalities and senses of humor and preferences like any other children. People act like it is such a terrible condition, but I find it difficult to view it as anything but a quirk... just another little piece of who my son is. And of course, I love who he is.

Anyway, this is a thoroughly useless review that is not even remotely my style. I guess your poem just happened to have a strong effect on me. That is good feedback to have, right? The piece could use some light revision, but I'm not about to pick it apart. Even if you never edit anything, it is a lovely poem.




My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .