James Garratt – A life lived and recorded in ink since 1992
My name is James and this personal website is an attempt to archive my writing which predominately is (under a loose banner) poetry
I started writing things down at the age of 17 in 1992, initially with no other idea of plan then to keep a record of my thoughts and feelings. Given my growing up experiences it felt like the perfect way to apply some self help therapy
i tried to keep it in that milk bottle
but the loss was to great
and the bottle was too small
those with experience and expertise
have told you that you are wrong
but you are so blinkered that you just carry on
to say my negative traits
only exist because of alleged autism
and they are down to alleged autism
it’s a very unattractive form of prejudice
i was told that i was socially inept
and when it came to people
i was not adept
that all my failure was down to this
there is so much i want to say to you
and i tried…
i poured out my emotions –
till i was tongue tied
it is strange to age and become mellow
mellow,
about one’s childhood
the stormy red sunset somehow melting away
if you believe –
that he walked out on you
just because he,
in your mind is autistic
do you know that no one blames you
not for what you believe,
with my open arms,
i appreciate your hurt
i cannot see the understanding
that you claim,
i cannot see the understanding
in a label you have given me
thirty nine symptoms of autism
that is what you said,
and i am number thirty one
destined to be ill fed
The Boy Behind The Glasses. Poetry and Writing 