Weirdos Like Me
Three years ago I began an interactive poetry challenge on my blog. Â It involved the public sending me 1-2 word titles and I had to send back a poem to each title within 48 hours.
Ranging from surreal, to grungy, from romantic, to funny, from political to symbolic and everywhere in between, the poems were as diverse as the titles sent in.  I gathered them into a collection called Weirdos Like Me. It’s a collection of poetry, art and surrealism. Amidst the poetry are also song lyrics to songs by Donna And The Aspinauts with whom I am the lead singer and main singer-songwriter.
As a author, singer-songwriter, artist, sculptor, screenwriter, each element of my ARTism and my journey from autism into ARTism involved a series of mentors. In poetry, my mentor was the man who barely got to see it, my father, John Williams, who I knew as ‘Jackie Paper’. Sometimes ghosts make great mentors. I hope my works haunt you in a good way and take you to other places and spaces as art should.
Thank you.
Donna Williams
Ever The Arty Autie
Around here……..in the middle of the USA (Oklahoma)…..if I were to have titled my book that, I would have been told that I was degrading myself.
I’M REALLY GLAD YOU USED THAT TITLE!!!
I understand the humor, as well as the struggle and growth.
I’m so glad I found your blog. I don’t know why I haven’t seen the link to it earlier, as there have been times when I’ve wanted to respond. I’ve put it in my Favorites.
Congrats on the book!
One of the days, I will order that book. I hope that the Aspienauts are successful. Maybe one of these days, they will play in Denver.
Xenia Grant
🙂
Your courage, fearless bravery, continue to bring a halting pause to my world. There i watch in awe and comtumplation of it’s possibility and find hope. You are an unstoppable, like a trick birthday candle in darkness, going out..popping back on..going out..popping back on…never really ever going out. You are a trick birthday candle… proving to other regular candles perhaps the ability to go out and come back over and over (resilance) is far greater a light to the world than a regular ole candle that can burn bright then be extinguished forever.
The doc said, how do you manage to keep creating with all this stuff going on (the immune deficiency crudola. I said, I need the distraction, the hope, the identity as someone with a life beyond tests and waiting rooms. And really that’s the thing, to always distract oneself with creativity, with beingness, with laughter, even if you have to be the one to bring that plate to the party. Trick candle… OK, I’ll go for that. Very poetic.
Thanks…yeah I hear ya. These last three years have been the most difficult as i pushed through a goal of much deeper healing. It sure wasn’t a pretty journey but a worthy one. And yes, one can lose themselves in appointment, doctors, therapy, work, and healing. While there should, I suppose, be meaning and being in such a path… there is little life. Too much of that is not good for the soul. Takes it’s toll. Three long hard years and the light in the tunnel finally appeared. I emerged wondering “who am i now”? My idenity blurred by the necessary tasks to achieve such a goal. For me it’s laughter and purpose that saves me. (Im not that “creative”.) If i can help one person suffer a little less because i have already, then it’s all worth it. For that i am grateful. But secretly, not as grateful as i am for the laughter. Oh thank God for the laughter. I cherish it. It has surely been my un-abating faithful companion through the darkness. Paving way for the 11th hour “Hope”, lightening so many burdens, magically renewing my strength. Ugh what a journey. So nice to not be alone. Thank you for “your footprints in the sand” for they have truly lead me to a far better place. Certainly not “Nobody”…..You. An inextinguishable Birthday candle. They sell them only 1 in a pack for a reason…. it only takes one to make a difference on a cake.
Congratulations on the book! Tonight…it’s good to be a weirdo! 😉 -Jen