 What a way to start. My name is Mary Kay Casper, and I'm coordinator of one of the programs at Washington County Community Developmental Services, the Learning Network. I'm sitting here looking at these incredible faces. Poems are the song of the soul. They shine light and story in each of us. And for each of you, you get to tell your story. You get to shine your light. And I am so very proud that we can create opportunities for that. I want to thank my staff, who are incredible individuals and work tirelessly to offer these opportunities. And this wonderful program, whose mission is to allow us to engage with each other and learn from each other and grow together. I'm just dying. It's like to sit here and to see all the people that have come to hear you, because you're a part of the community that exists everywhere. And we need to demystify the myths about who we are in the world, about who you are in the world. And you're doing that tonight. Again, I am internally grateful to be able to be here with you tonight and applaud who you are and the light that you carry to us and the gift that you give to yourself by writing poetry and doing art, because that is a passion and a path to self-realization, to awareness and to bringing who you are in the world. And your potential is so great. I love you. That's all I can say. I love you all. Thank you. All right, our first dynamic performer tonight, who's shaking off the, right, shaking it off. She likes to freestyle with imagery. She's going to perform a couple poems just based on the images she wants to share. And then you're going to do one about a unicorn and one about birds. Birds. I'll hold that picture for you. Ladies and gentlemen, Helen. My name is Helen Fragrance. My poem is about two lovebirds. Once upon a time, a boy's a lovebird. And it was a bluebird in a robin. They make a nest. They had a little baby girl bird. And they was happy to be together. My little story was lovebirds. I hope you love this story. My little lovebirds, I love you very much. I saw a unicorn once, and I wish it was my unicorn. I thought he was so pretty. He was all white, and he had a pink head. I love unicorns. Unicorn's my best friend. And I wish I had a unicorn be my best friend forever. And I'm a little bit nervous. And I wish he was always be my best friend forever. My little unicorn, I love you very much. I love you, everyone of you. Have a good night, and have a safe ride. Bye. At the end of it, they get a flower. And now, Montpelier and Nadu, the wonderful, the incomparable, Rachel. Nice to see all you guys here. I got one joke for you guys. What kind of music do buddy rabbits like? Yeah. I took some words out, so I circled them, so I knew not to read them, because it wasn't the right time for those words to be here. Great time in Vermont is the time of year when people look forward to getting out and enjoying the weather, enjoying the weather, walking the dogs, and going for walks, going with the kids and husband. And time of year for much season on the back road. That is a good idea. But then you've got to look forward to getting stuck. But if you have a four-wheeler, you can get out good. Going on vacation with the family and kids. This is the time of year to get ready. We're planting flowers in the garden. Time to do yard work and mow the lawn. People enjoy doing games and playing ball outdoors. It's so much fun to be out. Actually, I decided I'm going to wait on the other story. I'll tell that other story. Yeah, my friend and my mother decided he'll roll a stay in a bottle of herbs. Then they decided it was too rough. Then they went on to skate in the roller derby eye in Hollywood, California. The girls got rough with the other girls and started knocking them down. Then the roller derby got too much for them. Then they quit the roller derby. And then they went on to something a lot safer, like baseball, played with the Red Sox all over the place. Then they played all over the place. They had enjoyed playing baseball. They ate out all the time from baseball. They decided to retire and stay home with the family. The kids like watching them on TV when they played. My mom and my friend played for the Red Sox. Next I would like to introduce Scott. Now you are a supported typing decommissioned so I need a computer and an assistant to help me type. I am currently focused on finding employment interested in blogging and writing about my experience as an advocate for people with disabilities. For myself I have to educate others about autism. I think that it is important for everyone to advocate for their own rights. But sometimes it is helpful for others to support them, be forms I would like to share as every size shows you the lessons. The smell of freshly cooked fish and crisp clean air is a celebration for my nose. Rocks under my feet as the carushing down reads on its waist load down by the boaters like the five o'clock rush hour. Myself, I follow out as dreams. Autism largely affects my ability in certain pieces. My hopes and dreams take over. Poorly I might say in my mind thinking about the limits that have been set for me. But my heart is full of love for opportunity. Through opportunity comes from within, looking out through a wide lens. You must be open in your heart and handle the road that lies in front of you. Hope you dark and dim. Tears of disconnection. It is the old beat-moles not the key to my house but the beat of my heart. Poorly moweded keys long for strongly moweded locks. I think that the old keys are the most beautiful. I understand good keys when I see them. I see that like keys in the night, we seem to want the same thing. If the key is too rusted, it will not open. It needs to be precisely cut to work and that strongly moweded lock. It is like the beat pattern of rhythm that moves to my heart. Perfect beat that pounds systematically. Yeah, just in case, yeah. Hello, my name is Mindy Sprague and I'm from the Belton. And now I'm in Chris and his advocate Annabelle. I'm used the facilitator to obsessive compulsive ritualistic will or survive empathy acceptance. Feelings I need to experience. Yet no matter it is who I am and I won't change a thing. It is what has made me unique. A living, breathing human being. I am. Steer at me. They think I know that they are looking at me, analyzing my every action, laughing at me, wondering what I am going to do next. I'm judged by my autistic behaviors. People don't know who I really am inside, that I am smarter than half the same feelings they do. They quickly determine that I must be retarded or just plain weird. Some may even feel sorry for me and so very few people ever made the end of war. When I find someone like Ben who wants to get to know me, wants to hang out as and spend time with me, wants to learn to type with me and help me through this labyrinth, I am elated with your friends, each that have tried to get to know me but they usually give up. Our time reciprocating, so the relationship is usually one-sided. Ben understands me and he not only accepts me but values our relationship. I just wish people wouldn't stare. I love it when people but others. It is a gift we must give freely. It is what makes the worldly harmonious place. People realize the power they have within their reach to make a difference, to bring a smile, a bit of laughter in the air. Don't they know when people care? There is nothing one can't do. The possibilities are endless. It is what comforts people. Makes them all. People in my life have been my lifeline. No one really knows how powerful a human connection can be, sometimes not until years later. I still remember when a boy in my class helped me to find a quarter I had lost, my milled money, or the girl who sat next to me on the bus when no one else would. I still remember a boy at my church who chose to stay behind and help me time my shoes when everyone else went outside to play, or the girl who called my home to see if I was okay after fainting at school that day. Not be able to recall all of their names, but I remember their face. I remember how special they made me feel that when. That was beautiful. Deborah wrote a poem about Emily Dickinson. I wrote this poem about Emily Dickinson. There was a woman named Emily Dickinson. She was a famous poet. She saw ladies and gentlemen wearing nice suit disco ball roses. Shortly, but I thought I would share one of our group collaborative poems we had a lot of fun doing. I would see the king and queen, lemon and milk, walk amongst horses, hummingbirds and gardens, play practical jokes flying to Florida, travel in planes, fly to the moon, tell off the president, fly to a football game, dance with a girl flying home, look at people with poverty over the Alps and give them what they need, fly and bring this warm travel, hang out with a Dalai Lama unicorn, walk amongst coyotes, move, move through the sky to every beautiful mountain, play and hide and seek, make faces, walk on my shoulders under a bedroom door. Wear doll clothes while in a doll house and make igloos out of snowballs and go to the candy farm and take a bite out of everything. There's more. A drip of coffee, even egg, archaeological explorer, tiny acrobat. Live in a tiny house and take as many tiny belongings to make this tiny house cozy. Slide on the back of a bird and ride like a butterfly. Good job, guys. Next ruler is Elizabeth. Screen, a square, dancing costumes, blue, so piles, some movies, app and ears, hair cut, paper, and her eyes, and say clothes, bow to the river. Unfortunately, a very talented woman named Erin was not able to make it tonight. Interested, I will do my best to give you this rendition of her amazing poem. The Seasons of My Heart, a love song by Erin. Spring in London, in the Rose Garden Parks, kids are laughing and dreaming. Earth and future, I am blessing birds flying in the sky over the ocean. Without going away on a trip to a weekend family beach, heart-seasoned spring and summer, love shows flower days. Be summer in swimming days, singing verses to weekends and new days. I see me playing with birds. I am walking in the rainforest. I see the rivers, lakes, and ocean. Beautiful, Erin. I just want to say to Walter, thank you for pushing me every day of the week. Okay, mine is about, mine's about walking, like when I walk, when I get home from walking from SAF and from doing that work, guys, mine's about my imagination, so mine is called about my walk. Here we go. When the wind blows, it feels like my family in heaven are talking to me. When the sun shines, I can feel them shining down on me. The birds are singing happy songs to me. The snow is slowly melting soon. The rain sounds like mother nature is crying for me. When I walk, I start to feel good about myself and my self-confidence is built, is starting to build up. Thank you, everyone. Okay, our last poet is one of my heroes and his name is Connor. Commence cerebral palsy. Are you supportive type of to communicate? My goal is to advocate for people with disabilities and prove we are all alike. My poetry helps me express how I really am. I hope you all enjoy it. Beautiful life. My mind is soaring, heart pounding. I see the light. It guides me to the depths of my soul. It's happy but sad. Angry but living. Dancing but sitting. A disaster or a fairy tale. That is the beauty of the unknown. Not knowing what life may become, I see the light. No longer dreaming. Life is chaotic. Life is beautiful. The battle. Please ignore my humming, you must understand. It's part of me that I find impossible to change. I have tried, believe me. If it annoys you, just imagine my hatred towards it. Look this time, only at my heart. Oh, I pour it out. This prison does not define me, dry as it may. Oh, people hear me. This soul within will find its way out. I'm pushing. I'm pulling. Pushing through my hate. Pulling out my love. Love is in here. Love. Love will conquer hate. Love always wins. So with my love I go to battle. You may not see it, but this raging war inside is real. One day it will end, but for now I go. With love as my sword and shield, I will conquer. You don't see it. You see the result. This soul does try. The body defies. Constant talk of war. You try to understand. You can't imagine. I try to describe. I cannot fully explain. It's called autism. I call it hogwash. I experience the autism. You get the hogwash. You see hogwash movement. Hear hogwash noises. Look at my hogwash actions. Half of my life is not real. But typing is my blood. I pour my heart into poetry. Oh, yes. I pour it out. This is the real toner. Ignore the hogwash. I was going to close down and I want to thank you all for coming. This is very touching. I'm at last for words. And Helen is just going to give us all one more parting word of advice and why we should think about poems and poetry and sharing and giving. And she's going to close the night out for us all. We'll still be here for questions to mingle a little. We have lots of shockwave magazines to give away. I want to thank again my supervisor, my coworkers, my wonderful friends that give me like the best job to drive to in the morning. And this library and poetry poem city is just utterly amazing. Wouldn't you say so? Yes. Are you ready? Everybody should write poems. It's really neat and fun. I wish everybody else write poems too. Please, for our country and everybody will do good. Please write. This is Helen. Goodbye. To say is that this is great for all. We have some books out there to help out some other people who is like us. And they can even do some arts and send them right there as Learning Network. And there are some books out there too. I want to say to the teachers how wonderful that they are to me because they really pushed me to do this tonight. And I worked so hard on that poem. It took me a long time to push to get myself through this, but I did it. And I want the world to want to thank my staff. Sooner I want to thank Mary Kay. Everybody out, everybody that was here tonight. Thank you. And Erin. That was a good job at that Learning Network. A1 poetry king of the hill. When you get the full shockwave take it home so you can look at it and put yourself on a mailing list. You're only doing a good deed for yourself. You're doing a good deed for everybody else. Sporting everybody. What is it, let's go. And whatever kind of this building they have. It's a good job. I wanted to read one poem. Erin and I were talking about this poem. I'm just, where is it? I mean, this is amazing. Okay. This is professional work, everybody. This is amazing work. We need to get the word out. It's called breakfast by Betty, Becky. This morning I'm going to eat a TV. Walking to the sound of the TV sizzling. Smells delicious. Like electricity. Sitting down. Putting the napkin in my lap. Grabbing my fork. Beginning to eat. Chomp, chomp. Chewing it up. Swallowing. It tastes like knowledge. Some liar gets stuck between my teeth. Picked it out with the plug in. I get zapped. Yikes. Yikes. There was a click. A whirl and buzzing. The TV turned on in my stomach. A sneeze slipped out. Ouch. The channel changes. I belch. And the channel changes again. Thank you for coming.