Metamorphosis- Growing up with Turner Syndrome

16. "And though she be but little, she is fierce"- TS + Poetry &3 original poems

"She remembers when she first got her wings
And how she opened up the day she learned to sing
Then the colors came, erased the black and white
And her whole world changed when she realized

She's a butterfly
Pretty as the crimson sky
Nothing's ever gonna bring her down
And everywhere she goes, everybody knows
She's so glad to be alive
She's a butterfly

Like the purest light in a darkened world
So much hope inside such a lovely girl
You should see her fly, it's almost magical
It makes you wanna cry, she's so beautiful

She's a butterfly
Pretty as the crimson sky
Nothing's ever gonna bring her down
And everywhere she goes, everybody knows
She's so glad to be alive
She's a butterfly

God bless the butterfly
Give her the strength to fly
Never let her wings touch the ground"

(She's a butterfly, Martina McBride)

Along with the Shakespeare quotation from "A Midsummer night's dream" I have put into the title, the lyrics of the song "She's a butterfly" by Martina McBride are what comes into my mind first when thinking about poetry and TS. This song most definitely is my all-time favourite work of art concerning TS. The more I listen to it, the more I believe, that it surely was written specifically for a TS butterfly- every word of it just fits so perfectly. Every word of it touches me and instils a self- confidence in me I usually lack. I do not even know, if Martina McBride has ever explicitly confirmed or denied the idea of mine, that her "butterfly" is a girl with TS- if so, I could not find any article mentioning this online- but anyhow, I am far from the only one drawing a connection between this song and my genetic condition. You can hear it as the background music used in many short videos about girls born with TS, and I believe even as the background music of a butterfly walk organized by the TSUS organisation. This is a prime example of how poetry can move us and unite us- although every one of us might interpret the lyrics a little bit differently, maybe not exactly in line with their original meaning. Most certainly, Shakespeare was not thinking of TS when he wrote the line cited above- and yet he is often quoted in texts about the condition, because his words are perfect nevertheless. Even, if we do not know what exactly an author wanted to tell us- every interpretation is somehow true all the same.

Listening to some girls with TS, I have come to notice, that poetry and creative writing in general tend to play a huge role in many of our lives, including of course my own. One simple reason might be, that we just tend to be good at it. Often, words and language come to us easily and naturally, unlike some other more problematic skills. (Singing and acting are other creative interests many of us seem share- here however I am the exception to the rule, not being particularely talented at either of those). Obviously, an interest in or particular talent for creative writing is not present in every single person with TS, but more often than not, it tends to be. Also, writing things down, expressing oneself freely, is a great way to start untangling all the messy emotions one might be experiencing, and a first step towards finding a coping strategy. Even just reading poems and other kinds of literature, one will realize how many others there are who share some deep- seeded feeling one also knows, although they often are in a very different situation compared to oneself. Some thoughts and basic emotions are universal for many of us, they are familiar, relatable, and literature that expresses these is able to touch us deeply. And generally, great authors are people, who understand what it means to feel "different"and distant from mainstream society, even more, than others do. Great authors tend to be freaks. Maybe you can learn from their outstanding pieces of poetry, more easily, than from your friends and family just telling you, that it okay to feel however you are feeling, that your experiences and struggles are not less valid than anybody else's, that you are not less of a person than anybody else. In fact, an easy, mostly happy life usually makes for boring literature. Overcoming obstacles is what makes life fun, determination in the face of adversary is, what defines strength- and overwhelming, conflicting emotions are stuff poetry is made of.