Me and Mine

The world is not made for me and mine.
We are an afterthought.
Our lives expendable,
Just collateral damage –
Sacrificial pawns.

Our existence deemed pitiful,
Grotesque.
Our resilience deemed unnatural,
Deviant.
Our untimely deaths deemed tragic,
But inevitable,
Unavoidable,
And necessary.

When we try to adjust the world
So, we can take up a bit of space to live,
We must grovel and beg
To ambivalent uncaring tyrants who decide if we deserve to live
Often saying no.
Or placating us so we’ll shut our mouths
So, they can ignore us some more.

The world is not made for me and mine
So we’re making it our own.
Where all are welcome
And all are cared for.

Artist Statement

I wrote “Me and Mine” to show the community and solidarity of disabled people. The poem seeks to draw attention to how a group of people who are marginalized by society, and within the larger educational system, are an overlooked and under appreciated group. Disabled students bring so much to the table, but I didn’t feel that way as a student when I was attending McMaster. I felt like my learning and inclusion were afterthoughts to many of my professors and peers. I hope this poem empowers current students and bring healing to alumni and former students. Most of all, my wish is that the poem instills a sense of strength for the disabled community to rely on each other and hope for a better, more inclusive and accepting future.