Tony Gloeggler: Knowledge
He’s unaware he’s built
like a bowling pin,
that his shaved head shines
like Mr. Clean and everybody
stares when he waddles
Tony Gloeggler: New House
I try
not to think of all the time I spent
going over what went wrong
between us, how badly I missed
who I wanted her to be
Tony Gloeggler: Goodbye
no one seemed to accept
or understand I love Jesse,
that the way he will never fit
in the world reminds me of me
Tony Gloeggler: September
I am fulfilling my one holy
purpose helping to make this guy
happy.
Tony Gloeggler: Hardly Talking
I’ll give up and lie,
promise, that yes, his friend
will be back tomorrow.
Tony Gloeggler: Autistic Basketball
you rise with the memory
of your first taste of schoolyard
grace and lay it softly against
the backboard
Tony Gloeggler: A Mother, A Disabled Son And Residential Placement
I’m getting to know our recently hired, part-time, two half days a week nurse over morning coffee. She’s thinking about trying to find a group home for her son. I … Continue reading
Tony Gloeggler: Working Class Heroes
My father opened the trunk,
tossed me my glove with a worn
hardball tucked in its pocket, eased
into a catcher’s crouch as I paced
60 feet away.
Tony Gloeggler: Social Story
how happy and lucky
it made us feel to know
we had someone we loved
who loved us back
Tony Gloeggler: World of Wonders
He loves watching cars glide by,
sliding his special pass in the slot
to pay, sitting by a window, feeling
the drum and hum beneath his feet.
Tony Gloeggler: What Anyone Knows
Diagnosed
with mental retardation and cerebral
palsy, he spent his early childhood
in Willowbrook hell.
Tony Gloeggler: Cheez-Its
He makes a wounded bird sound
if we have to sit at the bar, wait
for a table, or the waitress brings
his apple juice a bit too slowly
Tony Gloeggler: Autistic Joy
He freezes, tries not to look at me and places
his hand over his mouth as this boundless
sound spills out, his eyes bubbly blue champagne,
while his body shakes and shivers in happiness.
