From the dirt we are born, from the ground we breathe life. Waiting
just below the surface until the time is right.
A soaked up raindrop.
A ray of sun that spills over me.
But not just yet.
Tiny footsteps above me.
And a breeze I can’t yet taste. Worried of the world without me
but still I have to wait.
I feel the soil tighten.
Or perhaps it is 1 that grows.
Soon it will happen.
But still, not just yet.
Days pass, both sun and moon revolve. And though I don’t yet see them,
this I can resolve.
I am here. I am waiting.
And then that grand day comes.
A rain that pours right over me.
A rain I love to drink. And with it comes the growth I need, and I begin to think…
Now. Go.
I move through soil, climb through dirt.
There she is, mother before me.
Blue above me. Green surrounds me.
I gasp. Fresh air.
A sip of all I have been missing.
But mother, she tells me I have it wrong.
It’s not a world I have been waiting to see. But instead
a world who has been waiting for me.
Emily Grodin is an autistic young adult who is minimally speaking. When she was 25 years old, she began communicating via an iPad. For the first time in her life, she was able to share her inner thoughts, hopes, dreams and reflections on her life with those who loved her. She immediately emerged as a talented poet and essayist. Her memoir I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust (April 2021 HarperCollins) co-written with her mother, Valerie Gilpeer, details her struggles and journey as a woman with non-verbal autism.
Emily is currently a college student studying journalism, psychology and creative writing, and is a staff writer for her college newspaper. Emily is a proud advocate for herself and members of her community in an effort to dispel the misconceptions and nonacceptance of those who have verbal communication challenges. She has been recognized by the California Legislature as well as the City of Los Angeles for her contribution to the community. In October 2021 she was honored by The Learning Rights Law Center in Los Angeles with this year’s Advocate Award.
