A poem, written by 10-year-old Benjamin Giroux, was posted on Facebook… and has gone viral. Benjamin has Asperger’s, and his touching words have inspired many. The young boy was asked to write the poem as part of National Poetry Month. His mother later shared it with the National Autism Association, officials of which posted it to their website. He actually wrote it for school, under the title: I Am… to describe himself.
This is what he wrote:
I am odd, I am new
I wonder if you are too
I hear voices in the air
I see you don’t, and that’s not fair
I want to not feel blue
I am odd, I am new
I pretend that you are too
I feel like a boy in outerspace
I touch the stars and feel out of place
I worry what others might think
I cry when people laugh, it makes me shrink
I am odd, I am new
I understand now that so are you
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.
The National Autism Association praised the young boy’s poem, saying: “You did an excellent job, Benjamin!! You fit right in with us because we’re #oddtoo.”
A mother writes, “My 10 year old son with Aspergers was asked to write a poem for school titled ‘I Am’ he was given the…
Posted by National Autism Association on Sunday, 10 April 2016
And Benjamin’s dad, Sonny, was amazed by the written words from his son, because he simply doesn’t show all that much emotion. But it’s something that most everyone should connect with.
Says Sonny: “At first, we felt sad and hurt that he feels isolated, alone, misunderstood and odd at school. As the poem went on, we realized that he understands that he’s odd and that so is everyone else in their own way, which is what Ben wants everyone to embrace.”
