I met you,
I met your world
Through the labels
Everyone gave you
Long before our time.

“Imbecile,”
“Moron,”
“Idiot,”
“Retarded:”
These words
Not even coming close
To describing you,
To describing your world.

I met you
After your parents
Sent you away
And dealt with their guilt
A little at a time.
I met you
After the institutions closed
And the administrators
Shipped you out like freight.

I entered your world
A little at a time
To keep you safe,
To teach those in your world,
To help you be,
To help you become
More than a label,
To help you become
The person you deserved
To be.

Through the decades
I watched you
And tried
To know the world
You knew,
The world you lived:
We worked together
To crack your code.

Your eyes saw
Things mine missed,
Your ears heard
Things mine missed,
Your thoughts my mind
Had to learn to know.

And, now,
I am going
And saying my goodbye
Knowing it is meaningless
And beyond your comprehension,
Yet we smile, I
Knowing you have grown
Knowing you have evolved
In ways that many people
Will never see,
Will never hear,
Will never think;
But you and I will
Always know.

Goodbye, my friend:
Sending blessings and The Angels
To continue accompanying you
On your path.

© 2016 by John David Higham: All Rights Reserved

Photo: The World Beyond The Screen (Windfall, 12/18/16)