Hello, Jilly here. I’m very honoured to have the opportunity to highlight Neurodivergent Week (17 – 23 March) in today’s Showcase, which aims to help address the issues of conditions such as autism, dyslexia, later-life brain injury and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), among others. It’s also the chance to celebrate the skills of Neurodivergent people and help them feel more comfortable with themselves and the world in which they live. Many of us will recall the film Rain Man, where Dustin Hoffman played Ray Babbett, a severely autistic man with truly amazing numerical abilities. Many of those on the ‘autistic spectrum’ display similarly astonishing skills with words, art/craft, numbers, sport, games and music. One of the points of this week is to recognise and celebrate these talents.

Back in the late 60s/early 70s, my younger brother was labelled as being ‘lazy’ and ‘disruptive’. He was fidgety, appeared distracted and struggled to cope with the demands of the noisy, bustling school day that most of us just accepted for what it was. It wasn’t until he was an adult that he was diagnosed as being dyslexic yet, despite that, he did learn to read and, in fact, became a prolific poet and writer who could also understand Danish after moving over to that beautiful country. He always had huge creative flair. My youngest grandson has been recently diagnosed as having ADHD, so most of us probably know of somebody that comes under the Neurodivergent umbrella.

We may not always understand why some people are born ‘different’ and some are not. We may not always know how to interact with somebody who has a different conception of our world, its people and the way we all see things. And that is precisely why Neurodivergent Week is so important.

My first poem today is by Jenny Pelc and it is real representation of a small boy caught in his own world.

The Special Child

He twirls around the room dancing within the
sounds and light
and all the colours which shine so bright.
In his world, he can hear the frequency of sound
and see the patterns in everything around.
He lives in an ethereal realm with him at the helm,
steering the unlimited wheel of life,
unaffected by all the world’s struggle and strife.

(c) Jenny Pelc, 2025

I love this because it so reminds me of my grandson, who is bright, sensitive and quick and full of amazing ideas. To him, the world is a bigger and brighter place that is also full of challenges, yet he rises to those challenges whatever they may be, and he, too, shows quite astonishing artistic ability for one so young!

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My next choice is a series of verses by Gertcha Cowson and I am sure you will see how appropriate they are for this week’s Showcase.

Perceptions – Pt 1

You think I’m smiling because I’m happy!

But that’s just me painting over the cracks
just to stop you asking questions and get you of my back.
I don’t want you to see my more honest frown
and deal with you pestering me on why I’m down.
So I will take my face and fool you for a while
and keep you at a distance with a well-rehearsed smile.

And you can keep thinking I’m happy
Because you see me smiling.

Perceptions – Pt 2

You think I’m yawning because I’m bored!

But that’s just me being emotionally null and void,
passing myself off as some bipolar fuelled android.
I cannot lock down on one activity,
though there’s a hundred ideas keeping my head busy.
Even as I sit here I am working overtime
constantly organising my deafening pain.

But you think I’m bored because you see me yawning.

Perception – Pt 3

You think I dress in colours so I can be seen!

But remember a tiger is a camouflage master
and it can hide in the dullest of colour.
I wear these colours to blend into the crowd,
so I can become a whisper where all is too loud.
I hide myself in plain sight
by wearing colours so bright.

Yet you think I want to be seen because you see me dress in colours!

Perception – Pt 4

You think I’m laughing because I’ve heard something funny!

But that’s just me getting all confused,
not knowing if I’m meant to be sad or amused,
Deciphering a hundred conversations all wishing to be heard
and I cannot focus on any one single word.
So I guess that someone’s made a joke
Because if I don’t do something I will choke.

And you can think something is funny because you see me laughing!

Perception – Pt 5

You think I’m feeling down because I’m listening to sad songs.

When I’m flying, I need to bring me down to the ground,
so I listen to songs with a sad sound.
My sad song collection has built up over the years.
It helps me crash land and reduce me to tears.
And then I listen to fun tunes when I am low,
and forever use these songs to balance my soul.

But you think I’m listening to sad songs because I’m feeling down.

Perception – Pt 6

You think I am deaf because I’m trying to read your lips.

But I can hear everything albeit all at the same time,
desperately trying to filter what I need before I go insane.
I cannot decipher one single word,
because once I hear a background noise; it cannot be unheard,
So I concentrate on your mouth thinking I can read lips,
but of course it doesn’t work and most of what you say slips.

But you see me lip reading; so you think I’m deaf.

© Gertcha Cowson, taken from the book Rocks In A Spin Dryer

Connect with Gertcha on X: @cowson_gertcha

These poems really touch my heart. They’re so beautifully written and they challenge my perception of what it must be like to be neurodivergent: such a feeling of resignation, of feeling lost, of being out of touch.

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Finally, I shall close this week’s Showcase with a short poem I recently penned regarding my grandson.

Have I Got ADHD, Mummy?

He came home from school seeming quite perplexed,
clearly something had him vexed.
Mummy said “Are you all right?
You’re usually chatty and funny and bright!”
He replied in anxious tone,
trying so hard not to moan,
“We had a talk in school today
and everything they had to say,
was really, really, just like me,
mummy have I got ADHD?”

© Jilly Henderson-Long, 2025 

Connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jhendersonlong

Thank you for reading.

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If you’d like to see your writing appear in the Write On! Showcase, please submit your short stories, poetry or novel extracts to: pentoprint.org/get-involved/submit-to-write-on/

Hear extracts from Showcase in our podcast. Write On! Audio. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo or find us on Spotify for Pocasters.

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