Wonderful Gifts of Mine

Jeffrey Peterson

Jeffrey was sixteen when he wrote “White” and seventeen when he wrote “Jeffrey” and painted Self-Portrait. He was living at Pathfinder Village, a residential community for persons with Down syndrome in Edmeston, New York, and was attending the school there. About Self-Portrait, Jeffrey says, “In this picture black is a symbol of my sad feelings, red is a symbol of my angry feelings, and the bright colors are symbols of my happy feelings. I am seen on the left side of this picture.”

White

The clouds remind me of marshmallows:
puffy, soft, and white.
Their shapes are lambs, ducklings, puppies, and pigs.
They float for a long way against the sky
and the wind blows them quickly . . .
like a powerful sigh.

Jeffrey

Jeffrey is a person made by God,
     normally happy,
and glad to be a part of this world.

I am a seventeen-year-old man,
     with Down Syndrome;
It makes me special in the way
     I am.

Writing and art are wonderful gifts of mine.
I like myself because I have Down Syndrome,
     helping me to do the things I like.

Self-Portrait by Jeffrey Peterson

Click here to read a description of this drawing

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