“Are you okay?”

I’ve heard those words my entire life 

But I’ve never known how to answer. 

My brain–it doesn’t work the way others do.

There’s so many eloquent streams of 

thought, twisting and twining together 

Too many streams of thought

When I open my mouth

They all come tumbling out

Flooding out

As if the streams had crossed

And overflown 

Onto the banks of my consciousness 

The words in my head come out

Morphed and disfigured

A shrivelled shell of their intent

Why can’t I communicate

The words that come so easily

Are locked in my mind

Stranded behind the gates of my tongue

Never to leave or sail to a better beyond