I Am Who I Am For You

by Diane Brunei
(New York, NY)

The day you came into my world
A certain responsibility I obtained
To keep you safe
To keep You smiling
To keep you away
from the mean kids who did not know
that you were autistic.

You smiled,
You clapped,
You cheered
You spelled.
And the whole time,
I stood by your side.

You would never be like them.
Those kids who thought they were so cool.
Because they were smart and pretty.
You had few friends,
You couldn't learn.
I wanted to help.

My little sister means the world to me.
She gives me the strength to hold on.
She gives me the motivation to never stop.
But most importantly,
She gives me hope,
that one day the kids will understand
what it's like to be like her.

On days when I feel sick.
Like I can't do it anymore,
I think of her
And how she would deal with it.
She wouldn't know how.
My baby sister doesn't know.
If she can put on a smile
and show the world she can pull through.
Then what is stopping me.

I am not autistic.
I will graduate college
I will get a job.
I will get married
I will start a family.
I will be a grandparent.
But what about my sister?

She makes me strong.
She guides me home.
Every day, there is a chance
that she will be sick
So I try hard to show her
She can be anything she wants.
I am who I am for her.