Elaine Jones

ODE TO MY WHEELCHAIR

I look at you.
You are my life. You are my world.
I lean on.
I hit you.
You take all my spasms.
I spray you with strawberry yogurt,
tomato soup and custard.
You get spray
with expensive French perfume.
I drop baked beans, coffee and wine
on you.
You always smell sweet,
but you can smell bad.
You get bumped, knocked
and stamped on.
You get stared at. You get rude remark
s and taking the piss out…
You can be dirty.
You get washed.
You travelled many miles.
on planes, trains, boats
and in cars.
Some sad places
where you drown
with my tears.
Some beautiful places where you shared
my laugher and joy.
Places, where the sun was so hot.
I couldn't touch you
and where it was so cold,
I couldn't hold on to you.
You sometimes hurt me,
I moan about you.
I hate you.
You are always there.
You won't leave me.
I say horrible things about you.
But you are always there.
You are my friend.
You are my legs.

* * *

LTTLE SILLY DAYS

It is a silly day, today. 

                 Shopping in my wheelchair,

                                               is normal.

                                                                 In and out shops,

                                                                 mining my own business,

                                                                                                      chatting, 

                                                                                                               laughing

                                                                                                                    with a friend.

                                                                                  Suddenly, I feel like 

                                                                   I come out of space.

                                        I was stared at, I was looked at.

                               I was treated as I was a child.

                    And I was shouted at,

                    as if I were deaf,

I do attracted some odd people,

                                                  I said.

 

I entered Boots,

                        looking for cough medicine,

                                         couldn't find it. 

                                                   Asked the assistance.

                                                                    First she talked normally,

                                                                    in a quiet voice to my friend,

                                                                                       then she saw me,

                                                                                                    the voice came louder

                                                                                                                   …and louder.

                                                                     She spoke to me like

                                                                                       I was a little girl.

                                                   Lucky I didn't want

                                                                     a packet of condoms.

 

When seeing wheelchair

                         coming towards the old folk,

                                           they seem to do a little dance

                                                                  in front of you.

                                                                            Let's have a walz among the

                                                                                                   cotton blouses.

                                                                  Bless them…

Elaine Jones is 54 years old, has cerebral palsy and loves writing. She left schools when she was sixteen. She uses a speech communication synthesizer computer called a Camleon. She has written thirteen poetry books. She loves going to theatres, concerts, operas, and meeting friends and going shopping.