Imagine

(In honor of April being Parkinson's Awareness Month & National Poetry Month I am sharing this poem and remembering, my uncle, who lived and died with Parkinson's Disease)

Can you imagine, what it must be like

Can’t look over your shoulder

You’ll fall off your bike !

When things don’t match up straight

And nothing’s quite right

And this isn’t sometimes

It’s all day and all night.

Your cuff links fight back

It can take half an hour

And your muscles get locked, using up all their power

You’ve no concentration

So don’t get much done

And you tire out easily when you have fun

Some people will help you and that can be sweet

But it’s strange when a lady will offer her seat

Do I now look that bad, am I really that old?

But it’s kind, so I sit down and do as I’m told

Can you imagine

Just try if you will

Being worried that you might forget the next pill

And if you forget will it be all that bad

But if you take two, do you really go mad?

Next time you see someone

Out on the street

A little bit legless and shuffling feet

Before you say “drunk!” consider this please

You might just be looking at Parki’s disease


~Tim Vickers