~Gwendolyn Brooks
Starting my National Poetry Month project today: poems that express "Things I Wish You Knew."
photo by Harry W. Yeatts, Jr.
logo by Elena
I'm planning on sharing TIWYK poems on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays during April. I'll kick things off with a poem for kids about why a person who can walk might use a wheelchair.
WHY USE A WHEELCHAIR WHEN YOU CAN WALK?
Can you think of reasons why?
Maybe there’s something happening
that you can’t tell with your eyes.
Maybe she gets dizzy when she walks,
(she might even start to faint)
and maybe it hurts him to take a step
(his legs might shout a complaint).
Maybe she needs to save energy
to get more than walking done.
Maybe he can walk on a Feel Good Day,
but today isn’t one.
The reasons are many…
Who uses a chair?
Anyone who needs help
getting somewhere!
by Tabatha Yeatts
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One reason an ambulatory person might use a wheelchair is they have dysautonomia:
Dysautonomia is an umbrella term used to describe several different medical conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System. The Autonomic Nervous System controls the "automatic" functions of the body that we do not consciously think about, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, dilation and constriction of the pupils of the eye, kidney function, and temperature control. People living with various forms of dysautonomia have trouble regulating these systems, which can result in lightheadedness, fainting, unstable blood pressure, abnormal heart rates, malnutrition, and in severe cases, death. Dysautonomia is not rare. Over 70 million people worldwide live with various forms of dysautonomia.You can learn more about it at Dysautonomia International.
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My Juicy Little Universe has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Heidi!
What an excellent way to share important understandings. I love that your poem explains without being preachy, and the support of your facts about dysautonomia is really enlightening.
ReplyDeleteThe title of your poem is exactly what a child would innocently ask. Your poem answers in a way that is respectful to the question and the person in the chair. And thank you for the information on dysautonomia. :)
ReplyDeleteDear Tabatha, what a great poem to hand to anyone! And thank you for the new-word-to-me "dysautonomia." xo
ReplyDeleteYes, I love the way the poem informs with such positive feeling. I hope these poems will be shared widely.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful poem! It's such an important topic. It is important to help children see why someone who can walk might use a wheelchair, and it's not because they are lazy or don't want to walk. I have a family member with MS who in an airport sometimes needs to use one and it's helpful if people understand. Understanding, of course, helps grow compassion.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who has a handicapped license plate, but looks & walks normally, tells me she has been yelled at & accused of cheating. She has severe arthritis, very painful to walk & move. Your poem is special, Tabatha, shows why we should not make assumptions ever. We never do know someone's story unless perhaps we feel like we can ask. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your fabulous poem -- not only informs, but promotes empathy for "hidden" issues the average person might overlook. This is going to be a great series!
ReplyDeleteI love your NPM project and this poem imparts such a powerful lesson in empathy. There are so many times we don't know/can't see a person's whole story to know why. I hope your poem is shared far and wide.
ReplyDeleteLove this, Tabatha, and love your whole project idea! So much for all of us to learn.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful, Tabatha. It is perfect for helping children gain compassion and empathy. Thanks for sharing it here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tabatha. There are lots of reasons why people use wheelchairs. My father couldn't walk so he had to use one, but your poem had me thinking of all the people who use them to participate in sport with people like my dad. Sometimes using a wheelchair just evens out the playing field!
ReplyDeleteI love this project. I think we are too quick to judge or think we understand why someone is in a wheelchair. I once had a student whose mother had a form of cerebral palsy. She parked in handicap parking, but unless you saw her walk, she looked normal. Thanks for writing and gathering poems about this topic.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this lesson in a poem, Tabatha. Very gentle and informational. There is SO MUCH we don't know and need to know, and so many attitudes are formed without stopping to consider. Thanks again...
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written. It's simple but informative and the word "maybe" allows for a variety of possibilities. I look forward to this series!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this sensitive poem and the inviting way you've drawn us in–and the graphic created is very uplifting. I appreciate learning about Dysautonomia also. Your graphic for "Things I wish I knew fits so well, its both slightly forbidding and also uplifting with that gorgeous cerulean blue sky and clouds, thanks Tabatha!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful start to your series, Tabatha. It's natural to wonder why - and there are so many possible answers. But reality is - it's just a means of getting somewhere! Hoping your poetry month is rewarding! Keep well.
ReplyDeleteThis NPM project is a gift of empathy, Tabatha--thank you for starting us off with a very basic and concrete entry into the big question of "Who are you through and through?" I especially love the Harry/Tabatha/Elena collaboration on the series logo. It is the image of openness. May we embrace the blue!
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Tabatha, especially: Maybe he can walk on a Feel Good Day,
ReplyDeletebut today isn’t one.
This relates to a picture book poetry collection I have coming out...someday. Sigh. Sold it back in 2016, but it's not even with an illustrator yet. But it's about all the helpers kids use, like a wheelchair...Stay well!
This is a wonderfully gentle, sensitive way to help young (and possibly older) friends understand there is so much more to a person than what we can observe. Thank you for sharing, and for this whole project!
ReplyDeleteVery nice, T! I know I'm going to learn much from this NPM project of yours. Your poem reminds me of when I did HIV/AIDS training at my workplace (when I lived in Boston). We always had a guest speaker at these sessions, and she used to talk about the remarks she'd get from people who didn't "believe" she needed a handicap spot and thought she was abusing the system.
ReplyDeleteAha! I just read through the comments and see that Linda Baie knows someone in a similar situation. So sad.
ReplyDeleteYeah, M., it's ironic that people think they are saving the system from being abused by harassing people with struggles they aren't aware of. Ariana hesitated to get a wheelchair because she was worried that she might be given a hard time, but when you need it, you need it.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an important project!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Tabatha!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully crafted poem, Tabatha. I had no idea that dysautonomia even existed - thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis is an insightful poem, Tabatha. I think it says something about the low hearlove of any person who would question someone using an assistive device. They must have such low self-esteem to have to raise the question. It. is no easy thing to use a wheelchair. Once as a reporter I navigated my day via a wheelchair as an assignment. I have keenly noticed curb cuts, heavy doors & the various impediment, ever since. I've also seen more positives via access regulations & laws - hand-press door "circles" at waist height, lowered sinks in public bathrooms & other assistances. It is so true that some who need to use a wheelchair may also not need or want to use it at a given moment. Think of all the people in airports, especially like elders in my family - that is the only time they ride in a wheelchair. But they totally need it in big city airports. Thanks so much for this project & this poem.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem and info piece, Tabatha. I am circling back to read some of the poems in your series.
ReplyDelete