Inspired by my son: Two poems
These poems about sensory overwhelm as part of neurodivergent experience emerged after conversations and experiences with my neurodivergent son. The first one was written after a conversation with my son about why he did not like to enter temple spaces.
The second poem was written after an experience of overwhelm that occurred one evening when my son had been to a group play session in a therapy centre that included several other children. After a couple of hours, he became increasingly dysregulated, leading to a full-blown meltdown. During a conversation later that evening, he said that the room was too bright and crowded, a statement that surprised the therapist, who remarked that it was just ‘a normal tube light’ and ‘sounds of conversations in a normal tone’.
Loud sounds and weird smells / Parenting a neurodivergent child
Loud sounds
Like bells
And weird smells
Possibly oils
Today I learned from my son that that’s how he experiences temples.
For years, he refused to enter temples.
More recently, he would manage to enter,
but only by coping by wandering off by himself,
gravitating towards trees, flowers, plants.
And space. And silence.
What looked like ‘just another random fixation’ or another meltdown now makes sense.
I learned (the hard way)
to adapt to these needs
and just let him be.
I’ve learned
to listen
I’ve learned
to care less what others think
I’ve learned
to accommodate
I’ve learned
to take these needs seriously.
And as soon as I do
The intensity of the need tempers
And adjustments flow
From both sides
As we work towards
Making everyday life easier.
*******
Shubha Ranganathan
September 16, 2023
Sensory overload
Dizzy. Dysregulated.
Like I’m being pushed around.
That’s what it does to me.
Crowds. Bright lights. Noise.
Or even just the sound of laughter, children playing, people talking.
Many people.
Even if they are not talking to me. Or about me.
Because it always feels as if their eyes are on me and their words are about me.
It’s not that I don’t like people – I just need them in small doses.
*************
Shubha Ranganathan
April 9, 2023