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Some poetry from Scott Lentine

I'm pleased to showcase some poetry from Scott Lentine, a 25 year old man with high-functioning autism (PDD-NOS/Asperger's) from Billerica, Massachusetts.

 Scott works as a public policy intern at the Arc of Massachusetts in Waltham, where he tries to persuade people to support key legislation that will help improve of individuals with developmental disabilities by giving them improved employment, health care, and social services well into adulthood. 

 I'm sure Scott will welcome your comments and thoughts . . . 
                          Just a Normal Day        
Never knowing what to say
Never knowing what to do
Always looking for clues
Just a normal day

Feeling unsure
Totally perplexed with everyday life
Always on edge never certain
I wish I could lift this curtain
Needing to constantly satisfy my need for information
Always online searching for new revelations
Going from site to site
Obtaining new insights every night

Trying to connect with people my age
Attempting to reveal my unique vision
But ending up alone and unengaged
Feeling like my needs a total revision
Just a normal day





                         Can’t You See
Can’t you see
I just want to have a friend
Can’t you see
I need the same connections in the end

Can’t you see
I want a good job
Can’t you see
I need to have stability and dependence and part of the general mob

Can’t you see
I want to be independent on my own
Can’t you see
I want to be able to have my own home

Can’t you see
I want the same things as everyone else
Can’t you see
I want to be appreciated for myself


                The Ode to the Autistic Man

Try to understand the challenges that I face
I would like to be accepted as a human in all places
Where I will end up in life I don’t know
But I hope to be successful wherever I go
I would like to expand my social skills in life
Making new friends would be very nice

Stand proud for the autistic man
For he will find a new fan
I hope to overcome the odds I face today
Increased acceptance will lead me to a brighter day

By the age of 20, I will have made tremendous strides
I know in the future, life will continue to be an interesting ride
I have made new friends by the year
I will be given tremendous respect by my family and peers
I hope to get noted for bringing the issue of autism to the common man
So that autistic people can be accepted in this great land

Stand proud for the autistic man
For he will find a new fan
I hope to overcome the odds I face today
Increased acceptance will lead me to a brighter day

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Comments

Dana said…
Wow! "Just A Normal Day" is so spot-on, and how I assumed everyone functioned until I realized I didn't function the same way everyone else does.

Thank you for sharing these!
September 24, 2012 at 4:11 PM
Scott Lentine said…
Dana- Thank you for complimenting my poems! My poems are also featured on Ellen Seidman's Love that Max blog, Flannery Sullivan's Living on the Spectrum: The Connor Chronicles, Dr. Tony Attwood's site, the blog page for Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid, and Seth Mnookin's blog. I even got an email from President Obama complimenting me for pushing for better health care and employment/social resources for people on the spectrum. I believe these poems do a great job commenting on the struggles the average individual with autism continues to face in modern times.
September 24, 2012 at 11:25 PM
lavafour said…
I wish you everything you want in life and more! I am going to seek out your published poems and read them closely. Thank you!
September 25, 2012 at 8:29 AM
Forsythia said…
Our ten-year-old grandson( with Asperger's) just had another not-to-great day at his new school. At the IEP meeting yesterday, his parents and I met with his team, and they seem both competent and determined to help him succeed in school. We are hopeful, and eager to work together with them. Your poems helped me understand him a little bit more. This is new territory for his family. Thank you not only for your poems but your advocacy work as well.
September 25, 2012 at 9:24 AM
Anonymous said…
Scott, these poems are excellent. John Elder, thank you for sharing them with us.
March 25, 2013 at 8:41 AM
Ben Edwards said…
Those posts really spoke to what I believe people with autism feel everyday, and they make the case very beautiful for the public giving us the accomodations we need so we can live our lives to the fullest. As a poetry writer, myself, I too find these poems inspiring for their message, creativity, thoughtfulness, and scope.
March 3, 2014 at 6:05 PM
Theatre Geek said…
I am part of a group of actors and contributors that are currently creating a play that we are calling "The Autism/Asperger's Project" and it is meant to bring understanding to the misunderstood. We would like to use a part of your poem, "Just a Normal Day" in the play. We would like to tour it at schools and also would hope for it to be published. Would you give us permission to use it (we would print that it was used by permission) and would you want us to say that the poem is by you within the script or is it just enough to give you credit on the program?
February 14, 2019 at 10:43 PM
Theatre Geek said…
Oh, I forgot to tell you, we are located in Lake Charles, Louisiana and the first place this play will be seen is at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The dates for the play are March 20-24.
February 14, 2019 at 10:44 PM
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