Typical

A Note from the Editor: Our society is structured so that “typical” is synonymous with “able-bodied” and “normal.” In their debut poem, “Typical,” Kathryn Newswanger pushes back against this idea: why do those without disabilities have the privilege of deciding who is “weird” or “atypical”? By inviting us into her perspective, Kathryn also invites us to imagine her (as well as others with ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence) as normal, and to see that maybe, we aren’t so different.

How do you know you're "typical"?
To people like me, you're stranger than fiction.
You can't get inside my head,
And I don't know what's inside of yours.
What if I'm the normal one?
What if you're the one who is "weird"?

Just put yourself in my shoes.
You can't read between the lines.
People say things you don't understand.
It's unspecific and you panic every time something goes wrong.
You do things people don't understand.
They look at you weirdly.
Because you're different.

That's me.
I'm different.
I'm weird.
I'm not "typical".
But has it ever occurred to you?
In my eyes, I don't know who you are.
I'm the normal one.
You're the outsider.
I can't wrap my head around you.

I fixate.
I have weird behaviors I do because they make me feel good.
You do too; we're not so different.
I just go farther.
And that makes me not "typical"?
You wouldn't even guess I'm different
From the surface.
I look just like you,
So when I tell you that I'm not "typical," you're shocked.

My brain works differently than yours,
So I must be the weird one.
But by the same logic, to me you're the strange one.
Do you understand?
"Typical" is relative.
And to me, I'm just normal.
So, just let me be me.

Kathryn “Kate” Newswanger grew up attending Salem Mennonite Church in Keizer, Oregon with her family. Kate has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, generalized anxiety disorder, and dyscalculia, so naturally she knows a fair bit about living life as a neurodivergent person. From an early age, writing has been a passion of theirs, so getting a piece published is a dream come true. She lives in Salem, Oregon with her parents, her brother, and her cat, Lola.