The Tiger Cub

ed note: I’m departing from my usual song title today to share a poem written by my oldest. He didn’t write it for Autism Acceptance Day. But it’s a perfect poem for it. And I’m incredibly proud of him – not just for writing it, but for believing it and believing in his brothers and the members of their autistic village.

The Tiger Cub by Gerry* Butler (age 12)

Long ago, a baby tiger was born,
And he could not speak
As smart as he was,
His future seemed bleak
He was as smart as can be,
And witty and kind
But all the other animals
Would not share their time
“You’re not as good as us!” they said,
“You never will be!”
But in his head the tiger thought,
“I believe in me”
One day at school,
When he finally learned to read and to write,
He wrote down his thoughts and his teacher exclaimed,
“My Goodness, this tiger is bright!”
And all through the kingdom,
And all through the land,
He was known as,
The Tiger Who Can