She’s the one in the corridor, with eyes fixed to the ground as hands twitter like clumsy butterflies
Speaking pedantically, small rhythmic splits that you need to listen for
She’s the one with the cluttered lap of books, much better friends because they don’t judge her
Trying to get in on the chatter, the faces are a blur, sometimes it feels she doesn’t really matter
Oh she’s the girl from the other planet
The one trapped in her own world
Not as vibrant as the boys with savant skills, she’s just the research orphan
Autism, the word creating the divide, it seems the best face is the mask that hides


Her tears, fears, all lined on the page
Sometimes it is within her reach when someone smiles, really understands
But the memories come back through the years like that small red scar on her dainty nose
The laughter
The betrayal
The insults, acting like she was never there
High school tries to make her conform but when you have no social anchor how can she weather the storm
The storm of he said, she said, the superficiality

The bigoted teachers, asking why a smart girl with a funny name isn’t like the label,

Why isn’t she the same?
Oh she’s the girl from the other planet, sending out a faint signal
The girl just searching for answers, words do not lie
For on the page there is relief, there are no faces to decipher or cast judgment
Oh the girl from the other planet
Just trying to carve her own little green patch of home.