Use It Or Lose It

Walking very rigid with a slight unsteady gait As I walk I'll often veer from side to side Although by this I could appear to some as being drunk I feel totally disorientated and utterly defunct My left arm is just hanging there, not moving from my side For it's no longer swinging as it should My mind it has stopped working Feels solidified with fear Oh please don’t say that word The word I do not want to hear Falls just lately, I’ve had many Though I’m unsure why I’ve had any Breaking bones and grazing knees What on earth is happening to me I sit alone in the waiting room My left arm is starting to tremor With my anxiety rising Well it isn’t surprising Waiting for my diagnosis On this frightening dilemma I am called to the room Where a Neurologist is sitting And she asks me to walk to the window Without further ado she looks into my eyes Saying, ‘Parkinson’s Disease I can see it in your walk' I was numb and in shock and I could not even talk It was not what I wanted to hear But had been on my mind for a year Then I heard a voice saying over and over Are you sure Are you sure Are you sure I’m a widow on my own There is no one else at home Only me Only me Only me The first few days in total shock And all I did was cry a lot But gradually accepting it, I really had no choice Then deep inside my soul I heard a soft and gentle voice It said… ‘It’s neither Cancer nor Alzheimer’s, but Parkinson’s disease Yes I know it is degenerative, don’t mean to sound insensitive But Parkinson’s you have, so keeping active is imperative For the many hills and mountains that you will need to climb As your symptoms start to worsen, as you go into decline’ So on waking up each morning As a bright new day is dawning My mantra ‘I must use it or I’ll lose it” For although I do not want it I accept that I have got it So Parkinson’s my friend I will fight you to the end