Calling him downstairs,
out of his cave of solitude,
Where he can enwrap
himself in the familiar sounds
of a movie repeating for weeks,
A small black screen, coated
in thick dust ,displaying
the same pictures and scenes in perpetual motion.

Like a sailboat with winds blowing
in every direction,
Unable to move along any pathway,
He pays no mind to the shifting universe he is surrounded by,
as dirty socks and empty bags of pretzels collect in the corner.

I Iace up his white Nikes,
tuck in his deep purple button down,
handing him 2 slices of wilted bread that crush together
a single strip of beef and ham.
Same as always, yet I beg
this time be different.

Don’t let him just stare like a child,
gazing guiltily as if awaiting punishment,
A dull, blank face rendering no expression
His eyes fluttering back in forth
As if peering into a faraway world
Be smart and witty,
with a tongue as quick as river rapids,
knocking down boulders and sending
pebbles whirling in the currents

So they can’t act
as though his 21 year existence is equivalent
to that of a newborn,
sobbing in a gated crib for mashed bananas and milk,
or a dog that remains on leash and is guided around every bend,
too easily distracted
by rodents and robbins fluttering by.

Let him rise,
Like a mustard seed germinating
Steadily growing and ascending
until it towers over
those that once mocked its insignificance
Be what they believe,
A boy who always smiles and never complains,
“Aren’t they always happy?”
Because what would be better
than stuffing bags at the tiny run-down grocery store.

Let him remember what we practiced for hours,
Hunched over at the kitchen table
like a prisoner being interrogated,
Those long nights of frustration
where the low buzz
of the dim lights overhead resonated
throughout the open room.
“Speak clearly”,
“Make eye contact”,
“Smile”,
“Speak clearly”,
“Make eye contact”,
“Smile”,
I pray something sank in.

Let him remember to be all the things expected
of someone without an additional chromosome.
Because that is what is expected.
That’s what they want.