June 2025 | David Baldwin

Autism Turns 21

It is hard for us to guess what's on your mind.
We question you until you answer yes.
Outside of family, the world is not so kind.

It was a long time ago,
when I was young and in my prime.
I was entering the city for Passover. Lo and behold,

We had a large brown radio
in the living room
when we lived on Brighton Street
in Burbank.
Mother and Dad listened
…

On simmering summer afternoons,
Mother and I stretched out
on the backyard grass
at our tiny wartime tract house
on Brighton Street
…