Don’t strip away my dignity just because I’m not as I once was
That I’m not as you remember me,
Or what you want me to be again.
My mind and body have changed-not as I would have liked,
It has left me with the simple tasks of life to occupy my day.
But the heavy stuff, the juicy sink-your-teeth-into-stuff, it stole away.
My memory fails and I tire easily, but I’ve adjusted for that,
New and old technology has solved this for me.
Pen and paper, Google Assistant and Outlook,
They’re my battery backup, my memory hub, if you will.
No need to treat me like a child who is seen and not heard
Visible to the naked eye but invisible, deaf to the ear.
And please don’t treat me like man’s best friend
Where I’m told what to do, when to do it and where.
I’m still here, I’m still the same as before,
My body is still in its physical form, my spirit still intact.
I may not be able to do or say all the things I have in the past,
But I haven’t gone anywhere, I’m right here,
I’m still me and have my dignity.
by, Anne Paterson
*Riverbabble online literary mag Dignity, Issue 33, June 2018