Kelly’s poem

I heard there was help

I tried Really Really hard

I built myself up internally

I’m better equipped

 

I no longer try to present for their perception

I stammer

I let the clutter out more freely

I can stop them, go back and ask the questions I need clarifying

I can get things written down

I no longer need to hide myself

 

I only have to call out

I only have to reach out

I don’t think that is true

I’ve tried it all before

 

I have gone to see a therapist

I understood, our brains are different,

we speak in different languages!

I knew better and had the power to trust myself and my journey,

and leave

 

I don’t visit the doctor too much

I try to wait

I get my needs met by knowing I have to do that myself

I’m still learning what works best

 

I was in labour with my first child

I was unnecessarily strapped to a machine

I was alone with no information,

and no one to advocate on my behalf

I had my second child at home against healthcare advice,

…the best decision I made

 

I am a minority, it is feeling ‘othered’ just by being seen in this skin

…as a black person,

…as a woman,

…as a neurodivergent person, all boiled into one.

I think all of these things combined, make it extremely difficult for us to be seen and understood.