A Little Poet Named Olli

More than one year has passed, since we read Ollie’s first collection of poems. During the first year of the new millennium, Ollie has made remarkable progress and has written forty-five beautiful new poems. One of the most exciting things is that he is talking more and more. Although it’s still not easy for everybody to understand every word he speaks, it’s really a miracle! The past year may also be the happiest and most exciting year for Ollie, too. This fact is also reflected in this second collection of Ollie’s poems in the year 2000. Two of them, “In the Mirror” and “Set Me Free”, were entered into the semi-final list of International Poetry Competition 2000 and have been published in a book entitled “Chasing the Dawn”! Since thousands of people around the world, young and old, professional or somebody have a passion for poetry, participated in the event, it’s a real surprise to us that Ollie’s poem could stand out. Another of his poems, “I am a special little boy”, has also, through this competition been chosen out of thirty-three poems entered to be recorded on a CD by www.poetry.com. What can we say? We felt very, very proud; we hugged our dear boy and called him our little poet!

Comparing Ollie’s poems from 1999, one exceptional difference we can see is that the tone of the poems is more confident, more optimistic and full of joy. In the first collection, we can sense that Ollie was less confident, frustrated, felt lost and sad. Undoubtedly, one must feel desperate when living in a strange world where there is no way to communicate with others, yet people around you are constantly wondering why you are so different from the rest of the people. About this, Ollie referred to himself as the lonely traveler in the world.

Typing opened up a New World for Ollie, a brand new avenue to enable Ollie to contact and communicate with the outside world. Poetry gives him a way of profound connection, for he can use this special way to reveal his imaginative or secret kingdom to us and reach out for other human spirits. Because of that, Ollie moved out more and more from his enclosed world. He enjoyed the loving relationships with others, and he began to embrace this world with happiness, marvel and joy.

Last year, Ollie made huge successes in all the fields at school; he cooperated with teachers and paid more attention to his studies. At the end of last school year, he was honored by receiving the PRINCIPAL’S AWARD for Outstanding Achievement. This award is only given to one child in each school year. We are thrilled about his progress. When we saw Ollie standing in front of whole school to receive that award, tears filled our eyes, we cried with our pride and happiness....

Among the 45 poems included, there were some poems about the special sensation Ollie had received about this world. He is a very sensitive child, as seen in “Five Senses”, “Please, Treat me Right”, “Those Make Me Nervous”, “Freedom, Freedom” and “Myself”. His sensibility and response to the world around us is always surprising. When he encounters things in the world, he receives and collects the marks of excitement, pain, and awareness, and some feelings others typically ignore. So, when he writes poems, those kinds of sensitivities direct him to his destiny.

There were some poems about his expressions of happiness and imagination about nature and love, as in “Spring Is Coming”, “A Field Trip”, “Mmmmm---” and “I Am Walking”. He wrote such beautiful and life-touching descriptions when he had the chance to be in touch with nature. He also expressed his observations and feelings in his own unique way. For example, he called the airplanes performing air acrobatics as sky dancers in “My Sky Dancer”; the blue sky looking from our backyard as the acting stage for the trees and flowers in “My Delicate Blossom”. Once he had witnessed a beautiful sunset. Then, he named those colorful clouds as a red golden bird in “A Red, Golden Bird”.

Being a young poet, Ollie has been very honest and true to himself, also. When he wrote “ In the Mirror”, “Set Me Free”, “My Anxiety”, “My Journey” and others, he has been very straightforward to tell us his weakness, stubbornness, his struggles and concerns. He shares with everyone how and why he is always nervous, his fear of failure, his ever-present frustrations and helplessness. He is like a typical child, sometimes, who will always argue with us about his own behaviors. The two poems, “Difference” and “Eyewitness”, were his answers to his mother when she tried to teach him how to do things right. You can see, he has opinions of his own and is determined to proclaim his rights!

Ollie is a real dreamer, who likes forever lingering on his amazing dreams. In his dreams, he met the cute fairy and the elf, he rode a rainbow unicorn at “My dreamy Forest”. In “Fish Talk”, Ollie vividly told us a story about the four little fish swimming in his home aquarium. He portrayed himself as a little robin flying to explore his new world in “A little robin”. Finally, we are very glad to know that Ollie has a good sense of humor! He can become a naughty fish at “ Funny Swim” or a bear to dance around us in “Dancing Bear”. He may also sleep in his cold journey, “During the sick”. In the “Lecture of Teeth”, one can almost hear the “voice” of the teeth talk to each other…

We think that in terms of writing skills, Ollie has also made progress. The very childish poems in the first collection are gone. The kind of views on watermelon (“Watermelon” in Silent Hope I) almost disappears. He is a boy who is one year older, after all. He also chose words more carefully and more accurately....

Our dear friends, if you read his poem collection of 2000, we hope it can help you realize how much this child, an autistic child, appreciates his life, the environment around him and the loving, caring, friendship with which people always support him. His imagination and sensation may remind you to look at your surroundings more carefully and overflow with gratitude. His works and thoughts can constantly challenge us to adjust our thinking and our way of approaching others, especially someone different.

Life is so beautiful. Everybody will draw a life picture of his or her own eventually. We hope Ollie’s poems, in his unique way, will open your eyes, touch your soul and reveal to you the simple truth of life: faith, hope and an atmosphere of love....