Behind the Mask

Optical illusions

shatter angles and perspectives,

revealing the hidden contradictions

of the neurotypical population

concealed behind their flawless masks.

Cracks and slips, pressurized and withheld,

painted over, smoothed out, made unseen

to hide the precious contents within

outward appearance revealed to the world.

Once a skilled speaker and engaged in reality,

the following day, simply an observer,

unable to string two words together.

My skills profile stands out.

They don’t fit in with anyone else.

I'm going about things in my own unique way.

For you, it will be just the same

as if I didn't exist.

Allow me to show the fresh path

that will cause you to lose your balance.

Your life will have a flaw, not mine.

One should not treat autistic quirks as a joke

and it is not my fault

for having them.

Society has created its own path

but is there truly only one way?

Must everyone conform?

Someone will condemn them if not.

Sitting alone, with nowhere to belong,

the only answer lies in hiding places.

Either it's me or it's them, what do you think?

So, if you can't read all the books, you invent them.

This way, you will eventually fit in

because someone else has written the ones

captivating masses.

So why can't I?

You wonder

and at the conclusion of this cycle

you emerge

as the victor.

While preoccupied with their refusal to acknowledge,

they established the rules

and now find themselves bound by them.

There will come a day when we,

the ones who think differently,

will have rendered them speechless.

They will falter under the weight of the world

they have crafted for themselves,

not for everyone, only for them,

to excel and surpass in areas we struggle,

to disregard us and our existence in fullness.

So, we reciprocate, because they are unaware

of the difficulty in enlightening them,

for any knowledge shared

will be rejected and ridiculed to the full extent.