“EQUALITIES”

Yes, I need your help
But don’t patronize me
Yes, I know I’m slow
And you don’t have time to wait.
Yes, it’s frustrating,
I should know
And what I am thinking
And what shows on my face
Are not the same, just a stiff echo
Because my muscles won’t obey.

Yes, I need your help
But, as a partner and a friend
I’m still in here
In this shell that’s unfamiliar
To me too. That won’t say, and
That won’t do what I tell it to.
That’s broken. And you can’t fix it
I know you want to. I do too!
I’m in here screaming – let me out
I should know. Every moment
I am reminded that I still am
Who I was before and who I am now.

Compassion, of my needs, is help
And listening with your heart.
Remembering what you would want -
if you were me, is help.
Humor in the smallest things
and triumphs shared can help turn
the day around from darkness to light.

If there is a fight, exploring how - to figure out
what works for both of us. Getting it right, we
can whittle mountains down to scale-able size
and keep pride and dignity – intact. Still me,
I am the same person I was when your needs
and my needs were equal. no PD - just people