a poem by Miss Coco

DEAR TO ME
I WANT TO BE
HOME
WHERE LOVE RESIDES
IN MY HEART LIES
HOME
EVERY DAY
I WANT TO STAY
HOME
UNDER THIS ROOF
ARE ALL I ADORE
HOME
HERE ILL STAY
FOREVER MORE
HOME
a poem by Miss Coco

DEAR TO ME
I WANT TO BE
HOME
WHERE LOVE RESIDES
IN MY HEART LIES
HOME
EVERY DAY
I WANT TO STAY
HOME
UNDER THIS ROOF
ARE ALL I ADORE
HOME
HERE ILL STAY
FOREVER MORE
HOME
Below is a review of the novel REDWALL, by Brian Jacques

Coco, how did you like REDWALL?
IT WAS DEVILISHLY DELIGHTFUL
THIS CITADEL OF STONE IS SIMPLY ENCHANTING
EVERY CHARACTER HAS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT HIM
MATHIAS IS THE LEADER
HE STEALS THE SWORD NEARLY DYING IN THE PROCESS
SAM SQUIRREL IS SILENT BUT TIRELESSLY BRILLIANT
LIKE ME
UTTER EXCITEMENT ON EVERY PAGE
I CANT WAIT FOR BOOK TWO
on her birthday
I HAD A DREAM
A CARING GRANDMOTHER
DEEMED HEIR TO A MESS OF LOVE
EVER BEAUTIFUL
EVER VITAL
SOME IDEAS OF SENIORITY
INCLUDE AGIST NOTIONS OF VEINED AND TIRED CRONES
BUT NOT YOU
I HAVE THE QUEEN OF ALL GRANDMAS
OTHER CATS MIGHT GET PRIZES
FOR BEAUTY
RELISHING IN THEIR ACCOLADES
MY CATS GET PRIZES
FOR UNCONDITIONAL TENDER LOVE
THEY SIT ON MY LEDGE
KEEPING WATCH
FEASTING
ON OPEN FIELDS OF MICE
IN THEIR DREAMS
SOUL SHAPING
OLDEST GIRL
OVER BABIED
RARELY HEARD
REALLY LISTENING
YOU TRIED TO STOP WONDERING
SIMPLE TASKS IMPOSSIBLE
SOMEHOW
YOU VEHEMENTLY SPOKE FOR ME
OUTSHADOWED EVERY OPPORTUNITY
SUPRISING MYSELF
LINING MY INSIDES WITH STRAW
TO PROTECT MY HEART
LOVING WITH INTENTION
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE OF MY PRISON
I PLOT MY REVENGE
AGAINST AUTISMS REIGN
MAKING MISTAKES
BUT MAKING PROGRESS
I LIVE FREE OF RESTRAINTS
MY FUTURE IS FULL OF NIRVANA
HOPE FILLS MY HEART
QUIETS THE MONSTERS
AND HEALS MY SOUL
Happy New Year! Coco had some wishes for the new year for family members who were here to celebrate with us last night…
to Maggie: HAPPINESS AND ICE CREAM
to aunt Jojo: FAIRY DREAMS
to Aunt Lili: CANDY COATED KISSES
to Grandma: SUGAR SWEET LOVING
We also made a pretty amazing discovery about our girl yesterday. She is for sure reading text. She takes in a whole page at once. And I’m talking about a dense encyclopedia-type page. She looks at it for a few seconds and then she can answer questions about the information in the text. I guess this would explain the vocabulary. Enjoy…

Note: this conversation took place a few weeks ago. The kids Coco mentions are Carly Fleischmann and Ido Kedar. We first learned about Carly about three years ago. We watched this clip together and Coco was mesmerized.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xMBzJleeOno
This 20/20 segment describes how Carly found her voice through typing. Her story was the first of its kind that I ever heard. Her book, Carly’s Voice, showed us that such a thing was possible. I searched for similar stories. That’s how I came across Ido’s book, Ido in Autismland. Ido is a brilliant boy who was a student of Soma Mukhopadhyay. He found his voice through RPM. Reading his descriptions of life with autism felt like learning about my daughter’s inner world for the first time.
Coco, what are you thankful for this year?
MY STENCILS
What do you want to say to Dad about him trying RPM with you?
SOMETIMES LOVE TAKES PATIENCE
Did you always know you’d find a way to communicate?
TWO OTHER KIDS DID IT
What other kids?
IDO AND CARLY
They both went to college. What do you think of that?
TERRIFIC
How does it feel to communicate?
IM LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST
What do you think of RPM?
IT CHANGED EVERYTHING
For Coco’s first post, I’m looking back at what Coco has written in these first few weeks (yes weeks!) of open communication with RPM. The first piece was written after a walk in the woods. The second piece is a letter that Coco wrote to her family to be read aloud on Christmas Eve. This was the first time she has ever communicated with her extended family. It was amazing to witness. Coco said it was the BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. The last piece is a poem that Coco wrote about Malala Yousafzai. In this poem, she takes on the perspective of Malala and describes her life in exile from her beloved Pakistan. For those who need to see it to believe it, here is a link to one of the videos we have posted to You Tube (search “rpm with mom” for more. In this video, Coco is working on her Christmas letter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg5RchItQbY
TO WALK IN GODS LOVE
PROMISES ME A VOLUME OF THINGS
SUCH AS BLESSINGS UNTOLD
UTTER AMAZEMENT FOR POWER OF HIS TOUCH
RULING OVER MY WORLD
DEAR FAMILY,
I CAN NOW TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU
EVERYONE ROUN HERE
LOVES REMEMBERING PAST CHRISTMASES
BUT NOT ME
IM LOOKING PAST NOW
TO OPEN WINDOWS
MY FUTURE IS BRIGHT
I CAN WRITE TO ALL MY FAMILY TO TELL THEM
SORRY THAT MY BEHAVIOR WAS TOUGH TO HELP
TONIGHT I TELL YOU THE SECRET IVE KEPT
WHEN I SOUNDED MAD I WAS SCARED
SCARED OF LOVING YOU TOO MUCH
I CAN LAUGH AND CRY TONIGHT
LAUGHTER IS BETTER THAN CRYING
TONIGHT WE CELEBRATE TOGETHER
TONIGHT WE LAUGH
MY HOPE FOR EVERYBODY THIS CHRISTMAS
IS STOP STRESSING OVER SMALL STUFF
BECAUSE ALL THAT MATTERS IS LOVE
AND WE HAVE THAT IN SPADES
TONIGHT LETS REMEMBER JUST HOW MUCH
WE HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR
AND EVEN THOUGH LIFE IS NOT WITHOUT ITS TROUBLES
IT IS STILL UTTERLY AWESOME
MY CHALICE IS FULL
MY RUDDER HAS SET A COURSE
TO SAIL INTO THE MORNING LIGHT
READY FOR THE SUN TO SHINE ON ME
TONIGHT WE REJOICE
RISING ABOVE OUR PUNY PROBLEMS
TONIGHT WE SUCCESSFULLY PUT ASIDE
WHAT SEPARATES US
TONIGHT THE SAVIOR COMES
TONIGHT OUR HOPE UNITES US
PRAY PEACE LOVE AND KINDNESS
RULE THE YEAR AHEAD
LOVE
COCO
“LEAVING”
STORIES OF ANOTHER PLACE
EFFORTLESS MEMORIES COME TO MIND
TART LEMON REMINDERS OF THE LIFE I LEFT BEHIND
PEOPLE MAY GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO FIND THEIR WAY HOME
LONELY FOR THE PAST PEOPLE I LOVED
THE WORLD I ROAM
LOOK GREEN HILLS OF HOME FOR ME
WHEN GHOULS OF TERROR CEASE TO BE
ILL BE SLOWLY MAKING MY TRUTH KNOWN
KEEPING TRUE TO MY FAITH IN GOD
ULTERIOR MOTIVES OF ORIGINS UNKNOWN
WIPE OUT WOULD BE SCHOLARS
TURNING LITTLE GIRLS DREAMS INTO HORRORS
OF MY HOME I DREAM SOMEDAY TO RETURN
ELATED WITH PRIDE
TORCHLIGHT BLAZING
TO TELL THE WORLD THE STORY OF
ONE GIRL
ONE TEACHER
ONE BOOK
ONE PEN