Benjamin Giroux always felt different because of his autism, and at times it made him stand out from the other children in ways he didn’t ask for. However, he has found a new way to distinguish himself- his literary superpower!
Viralslot shared a poem that a ten-year-old Benjamin wrote back in 2016 for class. His poem, “I Am,” amazed his teacher and gained him online supporters. It has gone viral since the last couple of years. It has even been shared and highlighted by the National Autism Association, and it deserves to keep being admired.
The poem reads:
I am odd, I am new.
I wonder if you are too.
I hear voices in the air.
I see you don’t, and that’s not fair.
I feel like a boy in outer space.
I touch the stars and feel out of place.
I worry what others might think.
I cry when people laugh, it makes me shrink.
I am odd, I am new.
I understand now that so are you.
I say, “I feel like a castaway.”
I dream of a day that that’s okay.
I try to fit in.
I hope that someday I do.
I am odd, I am new.
Image via Viralslot
“Ben’s goal was to have people understand that being odd is different, and different is amazing, and people shouldn’t be afraid of who they are,” Sonny Giroux told Today. “And that makes me one proud father!”
There is a powerful kind of honesty and vulnerability that is displayed in Benjamin’s words. An inability to connect with people is hard. Admitting to wanting to, can be even harder. Benjamin surely just scratched the surface of his talents back in fifth grade. He will be one to look out for in the future ahead.
Featured Image via Today