Changeling

“Context: 

In the distant past, especially in Celtic mythology, if a child was particularly sickly or behaved in a way unfamiliar to the parent's expectations, they might leave the child to the elements or blame the "strange" behaviour on the infant being changed by fairy folk with one of their own offspring to be raised by humans.

Artist note:

I did a little drawing to try to express how I'm feeling right now, as I reflect on what it's like as an adult knowing that I have autism, when as a child I felt rejected by the world and couldn't understand why. 

I didn't realise it then but when I would daydream adults would often say that I was "off with the fairies," despite them not always knowing the origin of the expression.

Nowadays, I aim to be the cloaked figure in my image, shrouding myself from the cold in the world while I seek the babes and fellow autists left to the elements, so I can give them the warmth and comfort they deserve. 

Let me take you someplace else, where people will help you, Give you much needed kindness and hope so you can find your goodness and beauty. - Poet Dana Trick, Autistic Changeling”

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