Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Autism Awareness Day: “We don’t owe the world typical communication"
Leeds Beckett student Fee Marshall
When did you start writing poetry?
I have written poetry from as long as I can remember, my first memory of writing a poem was when I was 7, when I first discovered what a haiku was (5-7-5 syllable structured poem), and I thought "I can do that." I wrote all throughout high school.
What is your favourite thing about poetry?
Rhythm. Rhythm turns words from a written art into a spoken one. The perfect combination of words and timing is so satisfying.
Why did you want to write a poem about masking?
I didn't set out to, but I wanted to, because of the idea that we (autistic people) have to perform to a certain standard, and when you are around other autistic people, you don't have to. I wanted the poem to be about that. I didn't want it to be about masking, I wanted it to be about vibing.
Why did you choose to write this poem about you and your sibling?
They are autistic too and we have a lot of inside jokes that probably don't make sense to everyone else, like a lot of siblings. We don't mask at all when we are around each other, we just stim and act silly, and we do whatever we want and it’s great. I wrote it about how much I love them, and I love spending time with them.
What would you like people to know on Autism Awareness Day?
We (autistic people) don't owe you (the world) typical communication.
Slime Lime by Fee Marshall
They said “Slime Lime”
That’s ours
You see, we run up Tesco’s
End in the aisle of hope n dreams
The label says sublime
That’s that
They’re open around me
As open as anyone is
I know they mask
I know that
In neon lights which to most people
Are the eccentricities of a foreigner living abroad
If not nothing at all
Slime Lime painted in bright wasn’t
A joke or rhyme but little stim bouncing
Back n forth n back again in
That shivering way
Like lime green lights I see
Have a day bouncing up the walls
With the exact treats you want
Cos see it’s not exact it’s a curtain of maybe
A “feelin the vibe” cos
Then we see the slime.
