Transforming Poetry

Unable

A wheelchair shows you cannot walk
A stick or dog, equals deaf or blind
Or perhaps you cannot talk
And others help you speak your mind

Maybe you have a brace you wear
A carer, or nurse, by you side
You could even carry tanks of air
A frame to serve as a walking guide

But you could also be invisible
An average person, you look just fine
To others you are fit and able
They dont notice whats in your mind

PTSD, Paranoia, Anxiety
Can you see on faces and forms?
Am I as healthy as I seem to be
Or am I seperate from the norm

"You're not disabled, you can walk"
I've heard so many times
If you dont know, please dont talk
Dont act like I'm committing crimes

Maybe I cant use public toilets
Because I have emotional pain
And the disabled helps and lets
Me settle thoughts in my brain

Some people need space to calm down
So they dont freak out in public
Others dont like to make it known
That they are permanently sick

So please dont look at someone
Using the lift, not the stairs
And think "what a lazy bum"
Because thats really unfair

You cant see whats wrong with them
Give them the benefit of the doubt
I mean really, whats the problem
Why cant we figure this out?

What does "able" really mean?
You can be "able" to do anything
But you can also be 'unable', see?
Its a fairly simple ring

Some people can run and jump
Others may not be so stable
Does it mean you're a lazy lump?
No, it just means youre 'unable'

Imagine yourself as another
With mental and physical problems
Trying to live like others
Without sticking it out in the open

You may not see or hear it
Theres no chair or dog or cables
But it doesnt mean they get a hit
From pretending to be disabled

Dont assume the worst
Of those who ask for assistance
Confrontation could make them burst
Without much resistance

Disability is strange really
We always assume its physical
But minds are just as clearly
Out of place and quizzical

Stop the barrage of questions
The "uh huh, sure you are" looks
I didnt come for directions
To the "show you're disabled book"

I just want to live my life
And for me that can be hard
And its often full of strife
Torture to walk just a yard

So if you see me frowning
Angry or upset
Or even just stood waiting
For the disabled toilet

Please dont give me the label
"Faker", it makes it worse
Then I'm even more "unable"
To face the universe

Just let me use the toilet,
Get past, or take the lift
Please dont make me fret
And uncomfortably shift

I'm tired enough of it all
And the way I have to live
Without you starting to call
"God will not forgive"

Stop shaming those who hurt
Telling them they lie
Just think before you blurt
Making people cry

So if my eyes look hazy
I seem sad, scared or unstable
Dont assume im crazy
I am just "unable"