I wrote this poem in April of 2025.

we lit it up blue and made the colorful puzzle piece our lifeβs logo
Some of us wrote poems about it, some of us tattooed it on our bodies
we declared ourselves warrior moms and treated Jenny McCarthyβs book
like it was the bible, even blaming vaccines for our children being atypical
and supported Autism Speaks blindly, never question their intentions
trusting it was a safe place for our families
perhaps we were desperate for answers and a cure for our childβs neurodivergence
perhaps we were trying to help them get to what society deems as normal
but looking back now, we were messy and also part of the problem
because while the diagnosis helped get IEPs and therapy for early intervention
it also became how we defined our kids and ourselves unaware
that true understanding and awareness is acknowledging our children
are human beings first and foremost deserving of love, respect, and autonomy














