words

Communication is an odd activity. I still need to write someday to explain what I want to accomplish eventually by walking into the forest. Leaving words behind is an important part of it. People who are said to be "profoundly autistic" are usually mute. Some eventually find a way to present themselves using an electronic device as their voice. Here is some sample writing from people who, in times past, would have been abandoned as incomplete humans.

( Cut poetry text for brevity... )

I had mind before I had words.  That mind was unstable, though, when trying to live in this social world.  I rebuilt myself into a more durable form, but I lost earlier abilities during the process of remaking.  I hope to get those skills back someday, though I expect words to be the price I'll need to pay.  Years from now, when T'Reese no longer needs her kibble, I'll have the freedom to risk the search for former self: the child who wandered off inappropriately, sometimes didn't hear people speaking to him, rarely spoke back, and whispered his thoughts in a soft barely audible form.