To All Who Stare!

#Poetry. The poet speaks of a special child, a loved daughter who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, whom everyone stares at when they are out in public.

#Poetry. The poet speaks of a special child, a loved daughter who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, whom everyone stares at when they are out in public. 

On seeing a lovely young girl yesterday, having lunch with her mom, and being stared at by everyone around. Being reminded of a cousin with Cerebral Palsy and the stares he would get.

She woke up early this Friday.
When are we going, when are we going?
I had promised to take her out for a movie and a lunch
When are we going, when are we going?

She dressed up in her new top
A red one, with delicate lace
She borrowed my makeup
Not a hair out of place

I took her for a movie,
And then for the lunch
Look Ma, everyone is looking at me
Don’t I look lovely! She said

Yes, lovely she is.
My daughter of eighteen.
Prettiest girl I ever saw
Prettiest that could have been.

”Yes, they are looking, my dear
Wondering who the girl is”
My heart stifled a sob
Cos I knew what the truth is

They don’t see her,
Not her lovely eyes,
Her lovely hair do
Or her beautiful smile.

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How she is trying
Carefully, not to drop
A drop of soup on her lovely new top
How she eats with such grace
And every now n then wipes her face

All they see is the eight year old
Trapped inside the body of my eighteen year old
They see her as an animal
Caged in a zoo
They whisper to each other, so others stare too
They focus on how she holds her spoon,
On what she is saying
And how she would talk
I feel the eyes burning,
They stare at her walker
And then stare at her walk.

While my daughter
Is happy with the looks.
She has a twinkle in her eye
And a child within.
And she asks me again,
Look Ma, everyone is looking

Aren’t I lovely!

Image is a screen grab from Margarita With A Straw.

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