Michael Zepf
Michael is a non-verbal young man with Autism and Apraxia. He lives with his parents Sam and Melissa Muennich in Cincinnati, Ohio. He loves his home schooling with his mother utilizing his public school district’s high school online course system. He finished freshman year core classes and two Spanish elective courses with an A average. He has started Sophomore year with his favorite subject, history. He spends time swimming at his Aunt Ann’s farm in Franklin, Ohio and visiting with his step brother’s family Dillon, Liz and 8 year old Adeline. Finding RPM 5 years ago has profoundly changed our lives. In 5 years Michael has gone from communicating simple wants/needs to learning age appropriate curriculum and writing beautiful stories/poetry. He tells us all the time that he loves us and is so happy he can use RPM to learn and communicate and that he wants to go to college. Since RPM, Michael has started running across the room to hug us all the time, spelling out on the letterboard, “ I am very happy today, I love you” and we hug him back and tell him we love our smart, handsome boy who we now know is the smartest one in our family.
People wish for love
People love hugs and they wish for more
Willing to wait forever
Hoping for love to come once more
Willing to wait forever
Always hoping for more and more
Willing to wait forever
A child looks over to mother
A child looks over to mother
to see her love for him.
She tells him he can only go farther
if he really stays away from sin.
Sadness takes over others
who are hoping to help him.
He needs to be able to talk
so people respect him.
To undo the hurt you hold on to
enables love to show its understanding
hold on a person’s heart
Peace has life in the forest
Within the quiet forest
Animals play and run
Trees shade the reaching sun
Leaves cover the floor
to put a blanket down
to soften the ground
I love sharing hugs
I love giving hugs to friends
who love giving hugs back
Sharing love is important
For people who feel inadequate
Wanting to get hugs is
Understanding the desire of love
In the dark night
In the dark night
When the moon was white
My sorrow was out of sight
The world was looking all right
Watch the pieces created with Michael’s poetry here! You can find more on our YouTube playlist from the 2018-19 World Premiere Concert.
“People Wish For Love” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Tariq Al-Sabir - performed by Simon Barrad and Kseniia Barrad
“Peace Has Life in the Forest” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Tariq Al-Sabir - performed by Simon Barrad and Kseniia Barrad
“In the Dark Night” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Tariq Al-Sabir - performed by Simon Barrad and Kseniia Barrad
“Poem Compilation” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Liberté-Anne Lymberiou - performed by Keely Futterer and Kseniia Barrad
“In the Dark Night” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Travis Reynolds - performed by Lauren McAllister and Stephen Variames
“People Wish For Love” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Travis Reynolds - performed by Lauren McAllister and Stephen Variames
“Night-Forest (Peace)” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Joel Balzun - performed by Keely Futterer and Kseniia Barrad
“I love sharing hugs” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Stephen Variames - performed by Lauren McAllister and Stephen Variames
“A child looks over to mother” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Stephen Variames - performed by Simon Barrad and Stephen Variames
“In the dark night” - words by Michael Zepf - Music by Stephen Variames - performed by Lauren McAllister and Stephen Variames