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
Copyright © Ann Gilmour | Year Posted 2018
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