'What is normal?': Friends discuss poetry and growing up with autism

The crew from StoryCorps is in St. Paul for a month recording the memories of Minnesotans — Minnesotans like Lauren Hughes and Alex Junge.

The two are friends who work together at Midwest Special Services in the Twin Cities. Their conversation touched on many subjects including the poetry that Junge writes about his experience living with autism.

How.

Autism.

As I walk to metro I feel its weight all around upon my inner self I utter not a sound. Do I curse to the heavens for this my test called life? Do I will away those whom dear I hold? Remembering in wisdom all that glitters isn't gold. How can I\we erase the stigma mortals have eyes on.

Do I say honestly I couldn't help being born this way?

The answer comes to me softly like the cooing of a dove it is a thing we all process.

It is a thing called love.

It's a poem about how love is universal, Junge said, "You can have the worst disability in the world, but you will always be able to love another human and to feel their love in return."

Junge uses poetry to express feelings and thoughts that might get him into trouble if he just said them out loud.

"I can twist around in a poem and people will say 'oh look at that, that's really cool, you just did that,' and they might never know why I did it," he said.

When he was a child, Junge imagined he'd have a house one day, and maybe a family or someone special to spend time with. He knew he wasn't exactly like the other kids around him. He struggled with social interactions, math and responding appropriately in sad situations.

But before he was diagnosed with autism he didn't think his life would be anything out of the ordinary.

"I never really noticed, anybody — I don't know what normal is. I'll never know what normal is," Junge said.

"And what is normal?" Hughes asked.

"Exactly, it's a loose catch-all term," Junge said.

Being like everyone else doesn't necessarily mean you'll be happy, you still need purpose.

Junge and Hughes' full conversation will be archived at the Library of Congress in Washington. The StoryCorps trailer will be in St. Paul through Oct. 6.