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Down Syndrome,
They used to call them ‘mongoloids’ – imagine that! If everybody had a pejorative moniker, mine would be “four eyes, fat bastard, lucky he still has hair” Fair? Who cares? What would yours be? Imagine going through life labelled as a sub-human, Mongoloid! That would be about as bad as it gets. Yet. They are some of the most beautiful personalities on the planet. I know .. I had an aunt who was born into that affliction, What a restriction … .. on life, not that she ever fretted about her lot Knew no better, no airs, graces or cares Just occupied her little bit of space on the planet, Spreading love and warmth And we nieces, nephews and others Were all the better people for it My wonderful grandpa and his wonderful wife, My beautiful grandma, Milly, Said no, she is no freak, she is our beautiful girl, and that’s just how it was.. And how it’s going to be, church, state, do-gooders, anyone else, Don’t cross me. My mum, one of four girls, Brought Lil up, no big deal, The love in that household was palpable. Lillian, my beautiful aunt Did not know the meaning of “can’t’ Just … is and now, though probably not always how She could knit, play the piano a bit, Not much else, but loved her TV shows No burden to anyone, just a beautiful soul Sixty six when she died, of course we cried, But we also celebrated a magnificent life, Would never make any man a wife, Though she had a few movie faves We shared a few laughs and raves about them Almost seven decades, unheard of for a “mongoloid” A term to avoid, at all costs, now that we know better. These days, if you are not overly affected You are not as protected, you are included. Down syndrome kids have jobs, some have careers Mature bosses love them, They give back in spades, Respect cascades, in both directions, We have moved on, we now understand and thank goodness how grand to see what they bring to the betterment of our souls. A great thing. [Copyright John Gates – 2019]
5 Comments
10/8/2019 02:30:42
Nothing right now can ever give me something I might be excited about. I guess I have reached a point in life where I feel more dead than the ones who are six feet under. You know this body is just a suit and what you see there inside the coffin is just a suit. Whoever worn it in the past is in a better place now. Me, I am still trapped in this cage of a suit and I feel no matter how much I struggle to try to get out of every ugly situation I find myself in, I just end up in the same sad place and that's what is killing me repeatedly.
John Gates
1/9/2019 23:09:18
You need some hope, my friend. Something to look forward to- not a big thing - a small thing - something that might be happening in a week or so - that has not outcome that will leave you disappointed - something like a friend's birthday, where you just go out and have a drink, and shoot the breeze - any little thing that is a moment to look forward to - it might be a new TV show, or a book that is about to come out, or a new restaurant that is being launched. 26/3/2020 00:13:38
You are a great person. You are a human. That's it - you were 31/7/2022 16:54:40
Thank you, she was one of the most beautiful souls I have ever known. I would love to have you on my mailing list, if that is OK. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsJohn and Lillian Gates - Business consultants in Brisbane Australia - contact us for a chat! Archives
May 2022
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