On Being Told Autistic People Can’t Like Poetry

told by a doctor
that i can’t like poetry because
autism doesn’t allow for it.

that i would never fully enjoy written words
because i’m not wired that way

that the words and metaphors would fly by me,
like dancing birds
like doctors,
intent on stealing the key
to my brain

i would like to tell him that
words drip from my mouth like blackberry juice
that i can see the rhythm and rhyme before it is formed
that although i may stutter i never falter

that my mixed up words form a beautiful pattern
that i can hear the beat of music in my head each time i read another poets words

that he is a liar,
that my voice is something meant to be heard

By Keith J. Castillo

Biography:

Keith J. Castillo is an autistic poet. His works mainly focus on disability, mental health, and race. He has been published in The Fem, Crab Fat Magazine, and Vagabond City Lit