By Irene Souter – Sidney, B.C.
This Parkinson’s thing
Has meddled my brain …
It’s caused lots of problems
It’s really a pain.
This Parkinson’s thing
Has muffled my speech
I’m no good at talking
Or making a speech.
This Parkinson’s problem
Has lessened my ability,
I work very hard
At keeping my agility.
This wiggling and wobbling
Is harder than it looks
It’s not discussed much
In various books.
This Parkinson’s thing
Makes my face look blank.
It’s hard to look cheerful
To be perfectly frank.
This Parkinson’s thing
Took my sense of smell,
What anything smells like,
It’s hard to tell.
This Parkinson’s thing
Has ruined my walk,
And this has many
Many a balk.
This is the reason
That many might fall.
When you’re in that situation
You tend to ‘stall’…
This Parkinson’s thing
Has been quite the trouble
Sometimes I feel
Like I’m in absolute rubble.
This Parkinson’s thing
Took my singing voice
Not that I ever had one
It just gave me no choice.
This Parkinson’s thing
Gave me various aches and pain
I don’t know how much more
I will be able to sustain.
When I cannot walk
As fast as I should
They call it bradykinesia,
I feel like I just stood.
My nice and neat handwriting
Has gone ‘all to hell’
It’s tiny and illegible
What it says I’ll never tell.
I can’t tell you all my troubles
They are too numerous to name
Leg cramps, dry eyes, and insomnia
They all put me to shame.
So that’s the way I feel,
Like a big disgrace
Another bad symptom
I won’t be able to face.
It’s hard to remember
The good times we’ve had
When little things happen
Make me despondent and sad
But a New Age is coming
And we won’t admit defeat.
A new cure is coming
It sure will be a real treat.
