Aura 6 Poem by RIC BASTASA

I have a friend's nephew
who keeps on repeating words
five to six times
and he wants you to pay attention

I heard that during the time when she was conceived
his mother did not like it,
(another unwanted pregnancy due to poverty)

if you do not know about this
of course, you get irritated by his arrogance of repetition
as though you are deaf and dumb

but knowing how unwanted he once was
and perhaps now still
you begin to understand
how cruelty and madness and selfishness created him

and that there is a need to listen
for each repeated word
as a matter of him punishing us, or his mother, or his father
because we never wanted him
and here he is
born without even his permission.

now we must pay for his autism.