GO GET ’ER
—from Rattle #71, Spring 2021
Tribute to Neurodiversity
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Clarice Hare: “In my lifetime, I have been diagnosed with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, Asperger syndrome, and attention deficit disorder/inattentive type, none of which I feel is exact or comprehensive. The one thing ten out of ten doctors agree on is that I’m not neurotypical. My differences have both spurred me to make many decisions that a ‘sane’ person would probably not have made, thus leading me into adventures that—once survived—have proven fertile ground for my writing, and provided the unique lens through which I view both weird and mundane experiences. This is why I choose to leave the big topics and current events to other poets and instead write the poems that only I can write. Of course, writing at all is only possible now that I’ve reached the point where I’d sincerely and wholeheartedly rather be the way I am than not. I’m grateful for the handful of other people in my life who’ve felt the same.”
