My Spectrum. My Colour: Cobalt (Electric) Blue*

The colour I am left me doomed to stand out.

Worked so hard to blend in, yet I failed throughout.

I tried to mask my true colours with a much weaker blue,

Then felt nothing but empty trying to hide my full hue,

‘Till my layers beneath found their way to bleed through,

Flooding my pages with rich cobalt blue.

I love my uniqueness though it’s hard to accept it,

When those that surround me fiercely reject it.

I clash with other colours; my boldness offends,

But rare colours who embrace me are profound, lifelong friends.

With the labels and stigmas that shape our worlds’ thoughts,

We are judged through a harsh lens that always distorts.

While the spectrum I’m on is deeply misunderstood,

What makes me autistic IS what makes me so good.

A colour so strong is filled with resilience,

Let me be what I am and I’m praised for my brilliance.

We weren’t born to fake colours; we’re all born to stand out,

Break that room of weak whispers up with your shout.

Be they vibrant or subtle, colours aren’t for ignoring,

So, in a world steeped in colour why strive to be boring?!

Learn to be what you are and not what you’re told.

The world is made richer by both subtle and bold.

With the goal to turn grey, our world is obsessed,

But it’s time to stand out, time to clash with the rest

Never mix with other colours to the point you’re all grey,

Be your own colour, have your own say.

Embrace the full richness of your own colour hue,

Because no other colour can do what you do.

(*The colour blue is used in puzzle piece logos, many autistic people - myself included - feel it links to the stigma we are puzzling and missing parts so I wanted to make clear this specific blue is a colour I feel relates to my personality. I speak from my experience alone and do not wish to force my beliefs onto others – just present my experience and let others come to their own conclusions. Being new to this - I wasn’t sure if I interpreted community guidelines correctly – e.g. what constitutes political. But I interpreted the brief as authentic self-expression. I felt the need for a disclaimer on the colour so my work is not linked to the idea we are puzzling. I really hope that I have kept within guidelines and if I have not then I am open to constructive feedback, thank you.)