A Tribute to Persons with Different Abilities

They look at us-

like we are unfinished symphonies,

as if God had run out of ink halfway.

But darling,

We are pauses, not errors.

We are deliberate ellipses in a language too ancient for their textbooks.

They measure us

in limbs,

in decibels,

In eyes that do not meet theirs-

forgetting

That silence too

can roar like a tidal hymn.

Oh love,

You should’ve seen how the boy in the wheelchair

painted rain with his tongue,

or how the girl with trembling hands

braided metaphors into lullabies.

We are not "despite",

We are "because", 

Because we limped,

We noticed the cracks in the pavement.

Because we stuttered,

we invented new grammar

for unspeakable grief.

And, we have crafted our own language, 

That only readers with pure souls can read!

We do not plead

for your understanding. 

They wrapped pity in paper smiles,

labeled us "special",

But all we ever wanted

was a world with ramps-

not sympathy.

Dear able-bodied friend,

you ask how we survive.

We don’t.

We revolutionize.

We fall

only to lean on constellations.

We break

but never shatter-

only rearrange.

And in this broken world,

Perhaps, we are the most whole.

We were never the afterthoughts,

We are prelude, not to be excluded but to roar! 

Yes, we do matter,

Though,

We exist in different manner!

Yes, we are different but not different than you in feelings and emotions, 

Please, do not play with us- 

Cause, when we plea God cries with us!

It's not a request but a warning-

In another generation or period you might feel the same- 

Stuck in your mind or body,

Or even, in situations -

Disability in any form might appear!

So, beware before mocking us, 

I might be blind and chained to wheels, 

But, you my normally-abled friend,

You also might be chained with your whims,

I am defeated by my terrified destiny,

But, you might be also horrified through anxiety-

Piety and anxiety becomes your neo-disability,

Let's not judge each other, 

But, we should walk hand in hand and build a band-

A band of spontaneity and cheerful curiosity, 

We could build a beautiful world if only you could hear me and not dismiss my presence,

I too may contribute in this world differently with my different abilities -

I just need a place to stand.

©® Farheen Bhuiyan Nancy 

Time Frame: 11.36 pm, Mirpur Cantonment.