the party was in full swing
adults talking to adults
under the influence of alcohol
i am a token attraction at the start
a talking point to stare at for five minutes
now i am forgotten, unimportant
left to wander in a room
full of slobbering giants
consuming vast amounts of food and drink
outside i can breather fresh air
clear of the smell of stale tobacco
i wander to the woods my parents warned me about
don’t go there, the bogey man lives there
down one grassy slope
up the other side through so many trees
and back down the other side
ending up at the side of the road
transfixed by an endless stream of
man made mechanical tin boxes
flash by whoosh, whoosh, whoosh
the wind against my bare legs
the only reminder that i am alive
one car stops and strangers get out
eyeing me up and down
talking to each other in hushed tones
then my dad gets out, smiling, eyes twinkling
they had noticed me missing
they had been worried about me
they had come looking for me
i do matter to them after all
The Autistic FellRunner 