Dear Little One
Greetings from the Listening World!
As you may have noticed, this year has delivered some of the swiftest and farthest-reaching changes in living memory. With each of these earthshaking shifts it has felt, at least to me, like every day I’m waking up into a parallel universe, a universe slightly askew from the one where I’d lived until the spring of 2020.
This week’s song, written by a talented nonspeaking songwriter named Josh, describes another world-remaking transformation: Josh’s own process of learning, as a teenager, how to communicate by typing for the first time. The song “Dear Little One” takes the form of a letter to a younger, still-voiceless version of himself, and offers words of hope and encouragement from a brighter future.
Dear Little One,
Good times to come your way
Dear Little One,
Good times to have your say
You dare to get a voice
Don’t let your heart sink
You will get one soon
Just not the way you think
Dear Little One,
It will take time to reach the keys
Dear Little One,
It tests your faith to keep begging please
Dear Little One,
To do this hears the tears in my soul
Dear Little One,
You try to get your body under control
You are braver than you think
You will teach people how you think
And way up in the heavens
They can hear you sing
Dear Little One,
You are so perfect in every way
Dear Little One,
Have hope that you will have your say
You dare to get a voice
Don’t let your heart sink
You will get one soon
Just not the way you think
From our current vantage, where we’re witnessing (and helping) a world being remade around us, I take a profound inspiration from Josh’s song: awesome transformations can and do happen – just not the way you think.
Thanks for listening,
Brian
PS: Please join us tonight at the Neurolyrical Cafe, where we will be celebrating nonspeaking lyricism and hearing from neurodivergent poets and songwriters from around the world!