Number 2 Pencil by Jessica Jenkins | Poem

It started with a number 2 pencil

8 year old me holding a handful

I was non verbal

But what you don’t know is;

I still had words

Words that l couldn’t speak but could visualize

Words that I tried to express on paper but nobody realized

I think in pictures

I drew cats that I encountered

Flowers that I gathered

And my favorite foods that I was after

Each drawing had a meaning

Each drawing had a hidden feeling

I wish I was heard from the start

But I’m glad I found my voice through my art

I have words now and I’m very grateful

And it all started with just a number 2 pencil