We wrote with black marker on the skin of your chest.
Letters of your name:
first, last.
Underneath, our home phone number.
Your first trip alone without parent or aide,
A beautiful, distracted, autistic first-grader.
After you left,
We unsuccessfully throttled our panic.
Time has wheeled by, between that day and this.
Years filled with laughter — frustrations, too.
Days of learning about hearts and brains:
yours, ours.
Today, you paused on the high school’s steps.
Stopped to wave, gave a little smile, and then you were gone.
I saw the shadow of your six year-old smile and your six-foot-frame.
My moment of unbridled happiness.
February 15, 2012 at 3:59 am
Gosh, you sure do know how to make a girl cry! That’s just beautiful
February 15, 2012 at 2:04 pm
beautiful, annie
February 15, 2012 at 3:52 pm
sweet tears
beautifully said
{rebekah}
February 15, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Thanks for the kind comments, y’all!
February 16, 2012 at 3:48 pm
Wow…and thanks for sharing!
February 18, 2012 at 4:58 am
I love how “high school’s steps” sounds along with the idea of pausing. You’re a great lady.
March 16, 2012 at 2:08 am
Beautiful, Annie…just beautiful.
May 11, 2012 at 11:45 am
Somehow, my subscription to your blog broke. I’m really glad I read back this far. This post made me really, really happy.