Autistic Boy Wrote A Heart-Melting Poem That Made His Teacher Burst Into Tears

What started as a class assignment turned into a work worthy of a distinguished author for young Benjamin Giroux, whose brutally honest and emotional poem about life with autism became massively viral and moved thousands of people across the world.

The then ten-year-old from Plattsburgh, New York, was quickly inspired after his teacher asked students to write a poem about themselves, starting every few sentences with “I am.” Benjamin, who wasn't usually the one to express a great deal of emotion, approached his homework task with relish and got straight to work on it.

“I am odd, I am new, I wonder if you are too,” little Benjamin began, as he was trying to express what it is like to live with autism.

"I hear voices in the air,

I see you don’t, and that’s not fair

I want to not feel blue,

I am odd, I am new, I pretend that you are too

I feel like a boy in outer space

I touch the stars and feel out of place

I worry what others might think

I cry when people laugh, it makes me shrink

I am odd, I am new

I understand now that so are you

I say I, “feel like a castaway”

I dream of a day that that’s okay

I try to fit in

I hope that someday I do

I am odd, I am new.

The National Autism Association picked up the poem and shared it on their Facebook page. The poem quickly went viral and has been shared nearly 40,000 times, often accompanied by the awareness hashtag #oddtoo.

Benjamin has since won awards and watched with pride as his masterpiece has been illustrated for a kids' book (soon to be published), inspired songs, and has even been used within tattoo designs. However, the most rewarding part for Benjamin is every time he receives letters from people like himself, that have felt empowered and inspired by his beautiful words.

Given that people from all around the world were moved to tears by Benjamin's poem, expressing their gratitude and awe for giving an insight into the mind of somebody on the autism spectrum, it is definitely understandable that he may feel apprehensive in trying to repeat it. Even if he decides never to pick up a pen again, however, he has already achieved more than a lot of us aspiring authors ever will. He has inspired people.

Image credits: GirouxBenjamin