Poem by Dana Young
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
Poem by Dana L. Young
Everyone has seen my extreme timidness.
My abnormal ways of existing.
To them I was just strange,
Unusual but typical me.
So much beneath the surface.
Hidden from the unseeing
Eye.
Hidden in plain sight
Was the reason for my quirks and
Actions.
The explanation for my mind
And ways of thinking.
But no one suspected.
No one could truly see
The real me
The “me” I didn’t mask successfully
But to others, I hid too well.
The “me” that becomes quickly overwhelmed,
Anxious and selectively mute at times.
The “me” that struggles to find the right words to say in every situation.
Which can turn a brief text or phone conversation
Into a prolonged, nail-biting, anxiety filled situation.
The ‘me” that always longed to fit in
But never felt capable.
The me that has sensitivities that I knew
Were abnormal.
And the “me” that wishes to tell her story
And to hopefully see understanding and hope
Appear on the listeners’ faces.
When I reveal that yes,
I am Neurodivergent.
And yes, I’m still me.
The “me” they’ve always known
But never really saw.
I’m revealing the veiled person
Behind my metal mask.
And finally introducing myself.
Hi, My name is Dana L. Young
And I am Autistic.
Poetic Blueprint 