Saturday, December 29, 2012

Inspired By Me


My friend and fellow activist Sally Campbell sent me this e-mail in response to a blog I wrote about the phenomenon of attempting to cure people with disabilities, especially children who have no legal rights to object to these sorts of procedures.  I was moved to turn this e-mail into a found poem, because so often I feel like my words have no impact on anyone.  Thank you, Sally, for reminding me- with your own beautiful words- that although that may seem like the case, it isn't. 

Brava!
this is a magnificent manifesto
in favor of living fully
with a disability.

I see a parallel,
though it is in many ways 
completely different with the hospice movement.

Once it is clear
that someone is moving
inevitably towards death,
it is better to comfort and celebrate them,
to allow them to be as fully alive as possible
during whatever time they have left.

Spending thousands of dollars
and suffering many painful,
useless
procedures in the attempt
to cure is such a waste.

And like a disability,
death is also not something
to be wished away,
but something to be accepted
as part of a reality
that also includes so much else
that is beautiful and meaningful.

If a cure is possible
and it will make enhance a person's life,
of course, one should go for it.

There comes a time, however,
as you say, Martina, when it is best
to let the hopeless hope of a cure go
and instead move forward
in another direction
which is also life-affirming.

No comments:

Post a Comment