I don’t write for fame or fortune. I write because poetry saved me and still does. I was raised in violence, punished for being different, silenced for being me. I ran, I broke, I bled. But I kept writing. Words didn’t hurt me. I’ve tried to leave this world three times. The last time, a gun jammed and my best friend walked in. She saw me. She became my wife, my miracle. I heard Him. I began to heal. I still twitch, pace, make strange sounds. I’m autistic, ADHD, monitored for schizophrenia. I’m scared but I write. I sing through pain.
I speak through tech. I wear a mask, black clothes, mirrored gauntlets because I am not the story. I am the reflection. I write to help others feel seen. To survive. To heal. If you’ve ever felt alone, broken, or afraid you are not alone. You are not broken. You are not beyond healing. Christ said: Love one another. I do. I always will.
JoshM.