Special needs poem inspired by our bear

You say I'm outside of the picture frame and you are all in

You say that I am different but you don't know the person within

People look at me and may think I am broken

I can't walk, cannot hear, no words have I spoken

You point and you whisper, you laugh and you stare

Sometimes you pretend that I'm not even there

But what you do not understand

Is I am perfect just as God planned

My smile is the sun on a cloudy day

I'm stronger than you think in every way

I try to speak no one understands

I make loud noises and shake my hands

Some people get scared and others turn to see

But that's how I talk that is just me

I may act different than the average bear

But I'm in the picture frame I'm definitely there

I work hard every day to complete just one task

Even if I need help I cannot ask

Sometimes it’s a struggle its hard and unfair

Don't say I'm not in the picture frame that I'm not there

I may not be the same as you

And do all the things that you can do

I have a purpose much bigger than being inside the picture frame

I am the wood, I am the grain

I give the world something not many people give

I give hope and courage in the way that I live

I hold it together, I'm beautiful and strong

I'm the frame not just the picture, I definitely belong

Written by:  Karen Grinstead and Julie Cantu