Nonspeaking, Not Stupid
Lucien G.
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I am a nonspeaking person. For years, I lived in silence, unable to communicate my thoughts, and during that time I was constantly misunderstood and severely underestimated. I was in my early teens when I broke free from that prison, and now that I have, I am driven to help the many, many other nonspeaking people who are still in that grim situation. Poetry comes as an extremely natural form of expression to me. I think in poems. So the idea of combining poetry with autobiographical prose to make my point was a no-brainer. I wanted to create something unexpected and new - not strictly a poem, but not strictly an essay. The unanticipated nature of this format reflects the surprise that most people feel upon learning that their preconceived notions about the intellectual abilities of nonspeakers are completely misguided. I will never stop advocating for my tribe.
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The ideas in my mind are boundless, but without the ability to put them out in the world, nothing tangible can be created. With my inability to speak or control my body well, creativity to me is intertwined with the hard work necessary to actually express my many ideas.
