by Louisa Schnaithmann
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| “Donald Triplett, the 1st person diagnosed with autism, dies at 89” –NPR, 6/17/2023 |
I never meant to be a statistic.
I only wanted my numbers,
to multiply them faster than
a calculator, to visit parts
of the world people only
dream about. I was just a man.
I’m not sure why the doctors
were so fascinated by me.
Every day, I was only myself.
What’s so special about that?
I guess they found something there.
Not sure what. My hometown
loved me. Wish I could say the
same about everyone else who
grew up like I did. Maybe it’s
easier to not understand
than to try. Not sure.
I was always better with numbers.
to multiply them faster than
a calculator, to visit parts
of the world people only
dream about. I was just a man.
I’m not sure why the doctors
were so fascinated by me.
Every day, I was only myself.
What’s so special about that?
I guess they found something there.
Not sure what. My hometown
loved me. Wish I could say the
same about everyone else who
grew up like I did. Maybe it’s
easier to not understand
than to try. Not sure.
I was always better with numbers.
Louisa Schnaithmann is a bisexual autistic woman whose poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Her work can be found in Anti-Heroin Chic, The Broadkill Review, Gargoyle, and other journals. She is the consulting editor for ONE ART: a journal of poetry and lives in southeastern Pennsylvania.