Disabled.
Labelled.
Sez who?
Those who think me
Weirdo
Freak
Irrational
Slow
Stupid
And incapable.
Unfeminine
Never wanting children
A poor housekeeper
And something of a slut
Verging on nymphomania
The slut part's in the past,
Just to set the record straight.
I'm not that energetic any more.
A high IQ never cut it.
Maybe those are the ones
They watch the most of all.
Okay, I'll be disabled
And get paid for it
By a kind and capable
Bureaucracy.
Able?
In some ways yes
Loving to take care of animals
(I get paid for it. Now there's
ability!)
Loving flowers and the song of birds
Loving music and beautiful clothes
(Even loving children, just don't expect
me ever to have one. Isn't that shocking?)
A good listener but notice that doesn't
come first.
Does that mean I'm a freak?
And never forget I'm a helluva good writer
We're often considered nuts by those who
can't do it well.
(And, with all that, I even learned to type!)
So here's the deal.
Pay me to be disabled.
I'll try not to cause any trouble
And I'll do the things I love.
Sometimes I might get paid for it
And some of it will go into your kitty.
Most of you don't like poetry
But still I might write one
That you'll always remember
And you'll say
Who was that crazy girl
Who wrote that?
Disabled for life
Like all women poets
And most of the men.
Just don't weed the DNA
You don't like it
But you need it.
Author notes
Probably over 40 lines but guaranteed to hold your interest.
This isn't the kind of poem I usually write but I'm kind of blue and cranky lately, worse than I was before I applied for a disability pension so I can support myself a bit better. In case you didn't get it from the poem, I'm bi-polar and feeling worse about it now for some reason. Usually I am reasonably positive but I have had to think about what qualifies me to have a pension. It would be nice if someone would come up with another term for disabled but that would soon take on a stigma of its own perhaps.
Sorry about the doom and gloom.
A contest entry
- ALMOST ANYTHING GOES by VerminVomit.
303 points, ended May 5, 2008, 47 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
So, what's your opinion of this?
Comments
1 - 7 of 7
-
Very Insightful
I love that your sense of self-worth comes through in this poem. Your sense of self diverges from those in society that would judge you based on their superficial perceptions. You express a different opinion, without quite becoming bitter--a delicate balance well maintained. You know the true value of at least some of your attributes. ("Disabled./Labelled./Sez who?")
There are moments of brilliance in this poem: "A high IQ never cut it./Maybe those are the ones/They watch the most of all." ... "Just don't weed the DNA/You don't like it/But you need it." Wonderful insights!
You express a pragmatic acceptance of your situation: "Okay, I'll be disabled/And get paid for it/By a kind and capable/Bureaucracy."
By the way, did you attend high school in Winston-Salem, NC in the 1960's? There was a Judith Chandler in Writers' Club with me in those days. At that time, I was not writing poetry, but I believe Judith was.
-
-
No, Ellis, I am not that Judith as I was born and brought up in Canada. But someone has mentioned her to me on the site before. Maybe it was you? It would be great if I were her (were she?) so you could have a reunion.
Don't get the idea I'm not bitter. I have my down times and my more positive times and I find writing about my experiences can be useful. Thank you for your comments.
-
-
you spoke for me
A high IQ never cut it.
Maybe those are the ones
They watch the most of all.
I was just saying the other day that I must be a very highly valued member of society ssince they prove me with everything I need and two levels of staff to see to my physical and emotional health.It certainly isn''t you usual type of poem but those are sometimes the best.
-
-
"two levels of staff". Now I am trying to figure out how many levels I have. I do have the money from them but, as you saw in the poem, it actually made me feel bad to take it. But one can get used to anything!
Thanks for your comments. They made me laugh.
-
-
cool
i like this its really good it tells a story similar to mine lol..the irony of life..i struggled wit manic depression for near 40 years and had to work my balls off throughout..but lost marriage etc...you know what its like....3 yeasr ago i got multiple sclerosis..cant walk have carers.. and a friggin weekly disability payment...great but i'd sooner walk and get dressed myself again..keep cool,keep chillin.keep groovin
-
-
so sorry you have a physical disability as well. So you get your disability monies once a week? Mine comes once a month. I don't know if that's better or not. I am lucky I have some cash flow with my cat sitting income tho' half of that gets deducted. Now there seems to be a question of my not getting the pension back when I inherit money from my mum. (There is quite a bit apparently). So it might be Trust fund time, one way to get around it from what I hear.
Why can't the old lady just live forever? Maybe I could just give it to cat rescue or heart and stroke or Mental Health research, since this seems to run in our family. But I may need the money for my old age. That sort of runs in the family too.
Problems, problems. I do know the cats have been great for me.
Ya write good poetry, Mr. m. Hope it helps.
-
-
i like it
(i was doing 3 things at once so i might have read this wrong)
i like how your poem goes from like a depressedsish poem to like a im not nothingish poem
thanks for entering almost anything goes
Adding your comment:
1 - 7 of 7
