‘Emotionless’ autistic man wrote his neighbor poem after his dog died -and his honest words made people laugh through pain

The man's wife tried to persuade him into not sending the poem but he was determined to help his grieving neighbor.

PUBLISHED 2 DAYS AGO

(L) Man writing a poem on paper, (R) Broken with grief dog owner is grieving, sitting on a bench. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Yuri Arcurs, (R) Solovyova)

Every pet owner’s worst nightmare is losing their furry friend forever. But this man found a way to reassure his neighbor grieving his dog with a poem that was enough to squeeze in a chuckle. However, the poet made sure to clarify that it was not meant to be funny. Carly Rae Hanson, who goes by @carly.rae.hanson on TikTok, shared a candid clip of her autistic husband, Jalen C. Hanson, reading out the little poem he wrote on a piece of paper for his dear neighbor, Steve. Despite his wife’s nudging about whether the poem was appropriate for the situation or not, the husband was determined to mail it to him for a particular reason.

Young man writing a poem. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Cavan Images)

Carly asked for clarification from her husband while filming the entire conversation. Her husband, unbothered, acknowledged that her neighbor was going through a difficult time, and he wrote a poem to share with his grief that was surely going to the mail. Jalen then proceeded to read it aloud. “Steve, Linda is dead. No longer can be fed,” the husband began. “She used to play. No longer, it’s okay.” As he recited his poem, Jalen maintained a neutral expression and tone, not hinting at the poem as funny or even emotional. “Did she go to her bed, or did you give her the lead?” the husband continued. “She is in a better place. Just not your place. My condolences, Jalen C. Hanson.”

Photo of a late dog in a frame next to a collar on a table (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Uberphotos)

As he wrapped up his precious poem, Carly felt the need to state that it was “not funny.” However, Jalen was clear in his purpose. He replied, “It’s not meant to be funny. It’s meant to help him breathe.” Meanwhile, the wife expressed in the caption of the post with 13 million views, “I can’t even deal with him.” The internet seemed to resonate with Jalen’s poem as the video gathered 1.9 million hearts from viewers and several comments discussing his true intent. “Why was that so much worse than I expected. Bro started roasting him in rhymes,” quipped @in_milfs_we_trust while @bbbreezyjo vouched against mailing the poem. “OMG, don’t let Steve see that.”

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Fortunately, a few others were rather impressed by Jalen’s piece. “I lost my dog two days ago, and honestly, this warmed my heart being able to laugh. Let him send it,” penned @littlebowbeat. A more rational comment by @chrisontiktok said, “Well, this depends on what kind of humor Steve has. I mean, I would probably be like, ‘what the…’ but then laugh. But Steve might not.” “I feel like Steve is going to love it though,” supported @craygardens. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the first step in the grieving process is to acknowledge the death of your pet. Moving towards the pain helps rather than dismissing or escaping it.

@carly.rae.hanson
I cant even deal with him
♬ original sound - Carly Rae Hanson

The absence can be deafening, but pet owners can keep themselves going by cherishing the good memories shared with their late pet. It is advised not to jump into getting another pet before completely mourning the loss of a former pet, because it may hinder the new relationship from being formed.

You can follow @carly.rae.hanson on TikTok for more videos.