Thirty Days of Autism

I am striving to listen
to respond to the message
I need to be welcoming
to your dissent

There has to be room for dissent…
or the ‘yes’ is meaningless

Honouring you
your self-determination
is not about what is easier for me
at the end of a long day
or what sounds polite

There has to be room for dissent…
or else the ‘yes’ is meaningless…

If you cannot yet use pretty tones
should your voice be silenced?
If you cannot yet dance
should you not be allowed to take a step?
If you cannot yet sing your advocacy
must you be silent and surrender yourself?
Abandon self-determination
smile your ‘yes’
as you bury your soul
as you lose yourself to my agenda

There has to be room for dissent…
or else the ‘yes’ is meaningless!!

Leah Kelley, January 2013

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30 Days of Autism is a project designed to fight stigma, promote civil rights, and increase understanding and acceptance for those who process and experience the world differently.