Laurie Cutter lived in Germany for four and a half years and has recently moved back to the Northwest. She enjoys spargel (white asparagus) but is not so fond of schnitzel. Visit her blog here.
Autistic Teenager as Sandhill Crane
When David croons,
He flaps his bony arms
In circles
Like wings. Skin & muscle,
Tethered
By ligament.
One bench ahead,
Children giggle;
His song, the shrill rattle
Of a lone crane
Calling.
Now he stands,
Now he sits,
Now he stands again.
Damp feathers of hair,
Ebony shoes,
Six feet
Of angular
Long-legged
Mystery.
David’s DNA
Encodes different steps
To the mating dance—
Head arched,
Quick springs, shy bobs
Across
From another.
Muttering,
“Be quiet, be quiet.
Shh.”
A brief run into wind,
And he’d fly.