
For Nick Walker
Listen to Troels reading this poem1:
I neuroqueer by the way I show up in rooms in conversations in my mind I neuroqueer when I lean in to my self trusting I have everything I need and finding beautiful fruitful expansive ways of letting it out I neuroqueer when I stop thinking of how I should act speak think and speak in to my self expanding on the possibility of becoming
Slightly
Listen to Troels reading this poem:
and I kept saying I’m slightly dyslexic kept halving myself question when are you dyslexic enough to claim dyslexia for yourself who am I trying to please when not claiming it myself the idea that I will be seen as less than that I should be able to overcome this other dyslexic folx the idea that I can’t claim it out of disrespect for there are others that have greater support needs than me slightly dyslexic slightly Autistic slightly me slightly sliding out of sight of those benefiting from me questioning myself neurotypicapitalism the idea that everything needs to be measured for value that there is only one ideal way to be which we should all strive for my dyslexia doesn’t make anyone else more or less my dyslexia doesn’t make me more or less unless you believe in a system that says so
Troels Steenholdt Heiredal is an Autistic / neuroqueer artist and architect examining the differences between explaining and exploring disability. He grew up in Toftlund, Denmark, and currently lives and works in Taipei, Taiwan. His writing has appeared in PLAT 13, Star 82 Review, On:Site review, and Taipei Poetry Collective, and is forthcoming in Otherwise and arq: Architectural Research Quarterly. www.troelsheiredal.com | IG: t.heiredal
1
Thank you to Kr Moorhead, for giving me the prompt for this poem during the “Neuroqueer Your Creative Practice” workshop, led by KR Moorhead, Marta Rose, and Meg Max; which I can highly recommend.