My son is funny and bright My son is loving and kind My son shines like the brightest light My son has a different mind Not everyone can comprehend The challenges our children face Or that a child who has SEND May struggle to find their place They slip on their mask every day Trying to blend into the crowd Mimicking how other kids play While inside a voice screams so loud ‘This isn’t right, this isn’t me’ But to let the mask slip is scary ‘Can you accept me and just let me be free?’ But they continue to feel wary As, to let the mask go will make them stand out What will others think when they know That they want to jump, flap, spin and shout It’s not ‘acceptable’ for this to show But one day the choice is taken away They no longer have the ability To hold up their mask every day They are now plagued with a fragility Because the strength that was needed To hide the bits that don’t fit Had gradually receded Now they have to admit “It’s too much … it’s too hard Leave me alone … go away I can’t speak, it’s too hard No I don’t want to play Just leave me alone Stop bothering me I want to be on my own I just want to be free I can’t go to school I hate it there They are too cruel They really don’t care” I wish I had seen how hard it was for him I wish I had listened more to what he was saying I didn’t realise that it was so grim I didn’t recognise the price he was paying My son is funny and bright But the light inside him dimmed The day he hit fight or flight If only he could have stimmed I cannot change the past But it will not defeat my boy This feeling he has will not last He will one day feel joy Because together we are finding a way out Where he can be his authentic self He can jump, flap, spin and shout He can leave the mask on the shelf