Sunday, 18 March 2018
Go Gently
Cold snow, caught in bitter winds. Twilight, with no shelter from Spring's leaves.
So many...
A countless number whose lives are no longer...
whose graves are unmarked
whose cries for help went unheard
Go gently
For those cries for help may sound like anger, like bitterness, like scorn, in a world unaccustomed to the voices of the autistic people brought to their knees in desperation.
Go gently
When you respond with anger, with mockery, with a sense that this is a battle to be won, a test of your power and superiority.
Go gently
For those words you speak may be the last they hear.
Echoing across the cold snow, caught in bitter winds.
In memory of all of the autistic people who have taken their own lives.
Nine times the suicide rate of non-autistic people.
If you or anyone you know is feeling like you cannot go on, please contact a service who can listen and support you. These are listed here:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/suicide/ in the UK
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ in the USA