Not for Pity

Neurospicy Poems
May 5
2 min read

Updated: Sep 3

A poem for the misunderstood

By Neurospicy Poems

Characters from left to right: Autism, PDA and ADHD.

We talk about pain—

not for pity.

Not for applause,

or sad head tilts,

or those “you’re so brave” nods.

No. Ick!

We talk for understanding.

To lay it out,

dissect it,

trace it back

until it makes some kind of sense.

We joke about it—

laugh at the absurdity,

poke fun at our chaos,

because humour is healing

and we know how to self-soothe

with a smirk.

We feel things sideways—

analysing, naming, narrating.

If we can explain it,

we can survive it.

You think we’re moping.

Attention-seeking.

Playing the victim.

But PDA would never.

She’s a sword-wielder,

a truth-shouter,

the one with the guts to say what you won’t.

We don’t want your pity.

But your understanding?

We ache for it.

We’ve spent a lifetime

being misunderstood.

So we write.

We speak.

Not to burden you—

but to unburden ourselves.

And maybe,

to make the world

a little less lonely.

A little more real.

A little more like us. ________________ Author’s Note:

This poem is a declaration, a shield held up by my internal system. It is not for sympathy or applause. It is a boundary in poem form, spoken mainly by PDA with strong support from Autism, ADHD, Rejection Sensitivity, Alexithymia, and True Self.

Often, neurodivergent expression is misinterpreted as self-indulgent or attention-seeking. This poem pushes back on that by saying we do not write to perform, we write to unburden ourselves.

There is humour because that is one of our tools. There is analysis, because that is how we stay afloat. There is fire, because PDA will not let this truth stay buried. And behind it all, there is a deep longing for fundamental understanding, not pity, not projection, but recognition.

If this poem resonates with you, then it has already accomplished its purpose. ________________ Copyright and Usage Notice