‘Autism Sonnet’: A Poem by Theresa Werba

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Autism Sonnet

The lights are much too light and sounds too loud;
And thoughts are only thought in black and white;
Try to tolerate a middling crowd
And talk so small, so pointless, so polite.

To hyper-focus is the narrow way
That leads to life, that few will ever find;
Such neurons which diverge will interplay
And yearn to speak minutiae of the mind.

But when to speak, or not to speak? Indeed,
That is the question of this give and take;
And masking’s masquerading’s guaranteed
To obfuscate the real, to say the fake.

The spectrum is potentiality
Within a quirky specificity.

winner of the 2025 Maria W. Faust Sonnet
Contest Laureate’s Choice Award.

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Poet’s Note: sensitivity to the environment, black-and white thinking (seeing the world in absolutes), disdain for small talk, focus on minutiae, and”masking” (a learned behavior to manage social situations) are characteristics of Autism Level 1 (formerly known as Asperger’s Syndrome).

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Theresa Werba (formerly known to the SCP community as Theresa Rodriguez) is author of Sonnets, a collection of sixty-five sonnets in Shakespearean, Petrarchan, and Spenserian forms. She has appeared as a guest feature on Classical Poets Live where she discusses rhythm and harmony in poetry. Werba’s background as a Classical singer informs dramatic poetry readings which Carla Christopher says “have all the passion of high theater”and may be found on Youtube @thesonnetqueen. Her website is www.theresawerba.com.