[LISTERINE51]

Parkies Dress Code

Feeling quite mellow for love of the world
Showing my colours with banner unfurled
Lonely and rigid with Bradys all day
I’m shuffling around with nothing to say

My stick is from Stones of Scotland I hear
No sword in it scabbard or foil may you fear
I point at the T V and fiddle the knobs
This cane changes channel, its favourite job.

Some terrible pains are caused by PD
My arms are of iron no muscle to see
My head is of lead and heavy to raise
My knees start to crumble and easy to graze

I shake every morning, all day and all night
The tremors of P D are there to highlight
What wonderful movement to people we show
The twists and the turns like dancers we flow.

awkward when dressing especially shirts
You put in one arm and the other one hurts
the buttons are tiny, won’t fit in the slot
when you have finished you’re sweaty and hot

you pull up your trousers or sometimes you don’t
pull says your brain but your hands say they won’t
when pulling on socks its tricky extreme
you get to the point say sod it and scream

when making a knot with your favourite tie
it gets so frustrating its near making you cry
you might have a meeting with some bosses today
you might wear some cufflinks or throw them away

The last to go on are shoes you must lace
The shoehorn is mustard it saves you some grace
The hardest to come is lacing up shoes
It’s better with slip ons the next pair you choose


Listerine

[lou_lou]

Oh, Just Let me Hate Him!
© by tenalouise

I hate that Mr. Parkinson's
that univited one,
he followed me in hot pursuit
until the deed was done.

No respecter of person's is he
Nor kind and gentle fella
I think he's just a coward
I 'll rename him - Mr. Yellah

Hey! Mr. Yellah, leave me alone!
I don't like you, cuz you stink!
You have made me mad and very sad
You've pushed me to the brink!

So now you know my enemy
To whom I don't belong,
Glad the day , I'll hear them say
The cure has come along.

and when my fight has ended
I'll tell that PD punk
Those brilliant ones that did you in
Are smarter than you thunk!

[BEMM]

Thank you Listerine, for a laugh and a surge of fellow feeling of frustration. The lilt fits so well. Clever clever.
And thank you Tena, your poem puts me in a proper fighting mood.

This is 'seen from outside'.

I’ve seen them in town
Walking slowly around
A couple of blocks
Then she sits on the rocks
by the side of the street
and rests her feet.

Something is wrong
He must be very strong
Not to mind people’s stare
When she wobbles out there
With her lopsided walk
He must know people talk.

Sometimes she seems lame
She’s not always the same.
Some say it’s a stroke
Or a bone that she broke
Others say that it’s drink
That’s what I tend to think.

Actually, after 10 years of lopsided walking I really don't mind what people think when I wobble out there. But people will stare.

birte

[JoClay]

Thinking of my husband


He was always the one you noticed
Standing oh so tall and straight.
It took two steps to match his one,
So purposeful was his gait.

Teaching English was his profession,
And coaching was his joy.
Shakespeare, his favorite author,
A football, his favorite toy.

Then came that unwanted visitor
Who knocked on his door one day.
Parkinsons took a lease on his life,
Determined forever to stay.

Though his body now is compromised,
His will to survive is great.
His mind will refuse to surrender
What "they" say is inevitable fate.

And as long as he has his family and friends,
And faith in his fellow man
He'll evict that unwanted visitor,
He will, if anyone can.

[lou_lou]

The Lavender Gown -

or some refer to it as

To Dance With the Stars

The lavender gown
That I once wore
Antiqued and aging
In an old dresser drawer

A purse made of pearls
With a handle of gold
Tarnished, miscolored
Forgotten and old

O joy that I could run
Back to the day
And put on my dress
To dance night away

Or awaken to find
I'd had a nightmare
And that I was healthy~
And had not a care

But in this reality
I will stay
Praying for health
Day after day -

Looking for answers?
I haven't a clue
One day at a time
Is the best I can do

The cure is awaiting
In some brilliant mind
Who studies with fervor
For the answers to find

Until then I shall escape
In my lavender dress
To dance with the stars
And run from the stress

-------------- Author's Notes --------------
Sometimes dwelling on illness leads to depression, and in my case
this is so true,so I escape from the thoughts that bombard me daily.
I do have parkinson's disease,but it does not have me!!!!

this was online at MGH in 1999...
Massachusetts General Hospital aka/ Harvard online
___________________

[harley]

Can I Borrow Your Legs?

Can I borrow your legs for one day?
I no longer have any to claim.
My own have deserted me
The legs you see beneath me
are not mine anymore

Can I use your legs for one day?
I will give you anything you need
All of my worldly possessions
Will be yours forever
If I can use your legs for one day.

Can I try on your legs for an hour?
So I can experience what you feel
As they glide freely when you run
Or fill your heart when you dance
Or show to the world your walk.

Can I feel your legs for one hour?
I just want to know they're there
Without the stiffness
Without the pain
Without the frustrations.

Can I cherish your legs for a minute?
I only want to relish in
The feeling of a body part
That works with me not against me.
I promise to take care of them
I know how special they really are.

Can you help me remember
That I am independent
That I am a person
That I am still here
I need only to be reminded

Please
Can I borrow your legs?

©Copyright 2004
Laura J Dean

[shiney sue]

to all and thanks to all, just not enough words to express, Many hugs
and blessings to all dear one's Sue PN

[lou_lou]

While The Pendulum Swung

I have lost it, -and that's a fact
where it went I'll never know
while peeking under a large divan
I searched for it high and low

like a curious cat I pounced upon
a huge bag stuffed full of junk
I ransacked drawers packed full
in my mothers red cedar lined trunk

what was the day, month or year
when was it, where could it be
who took it, what time was it
it was all just a mystery to me

it had escaped and oblivious was I
what happened to youths graceful grin
while the pendulum swung on the old hallclock
and age and senility set in ~




Christena
Copyright ©2004 Christena

[harley]

Forgotten Melody

A vision of twilights shadow
meanders leisurly across the walls of my home.
It forges near my forsaken piano
to challenge my denial of its existance.
My heart begins to bleed
as reality's blanket threatens to mute
the music of my soul.

In the silenced room,
I gaze upon the majestic instrument.
Spider webs now cover keys
once used to vocalize emotions
that could not be else told.
I can feel my life within its sounding board.
Emotional strokes of my fingertips
echo within the dark wood.

Sitting upon the vacated bench,
the familiar creak of weakened legs
welcome my return.
My fingers caress the ivories
but do not press down on them.
The knowledge of sad frustrations
has been hidden behind a wall
stronger than dreams of longing.

Looking down,
I notice how young my hands look.
Too young to be holding
the pain of Parkinsons Disease.
The keys that lie beneath them
do not understand
and are waiting for my touch.

I bow my head
and pray.

Inside of my trapped frame,
God’s gentle voice begins to sing
the melodies I used to play.
Leaning into their healing crescendos,
my motionless hands are forgiven.
My dignity swoons and gives thanks
while my Lord fills my heart
with the music He has given me.

©Laura Jeanne Dean

[imark3000]

I hope this thread will never end.
It is a testimony to the unbeatable human spirit ... we will fight to the end ..
Thank you heroic soles who transform your pain into infinite beauty. Thank you for being an inspiration to all of us
imark