Disability & Identity
Poems that give voice to lived experience, especially through the lens of disability. They challenge perception, celebrate strength, and reflect on how identity is formed through adversity and empowerment.
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40 Minutes
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Voice
What is a voice if it can’t be heard?A whisper lost, a silent word.Heard where? At home, on stage, in halls?Or nowhere—bouncing off the walls? We hear so many voices near—Parents, siblings, those we hold dear.Grandparents’ wisdom, friends who care,But what of those in power there? Teachers, medics, those in blue—Do we listen? Do we valueWhat they say, or turn away,Ignoring words they speak each day? And what of leaders, those on high—Councillors, ministers, spinning lies?They preach of cuts, they talk of debt,Yet do they hear our voices yet? When does a voice stop being true?When words are staged, rehearsed anew.Debates, old lines, the same refrain,We’ve heard it all and…
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Llais
Beth yw llais os na chaiff ei glywed?Sibrwd coll, gair a beidiodd.Ei glywed ble? Gartref, ar lwyfan, yn y dorf?Neu unman—yn adleisio’n gorff? Clywn lawer llais o’n hamgylch ni—Rhieni, brodyr, teulu’n cri.Doethineb neiniau, ffrindiau’n rhydd,Ond beth am leisiau sydd â grym? Athrawon, meddygon, a’r heddlu glas—A ydym yn gwrando? Neu’n troi’n mas?A ydym yn gweld eu geiriau’n glir,Neu’n gadael iddynt fynd i’r gwynt yn rhydd? A beth am arweinwyr, uchel eu gradd—Cynghorwyr, gweinidogion, llawn rhagrith a thrach?Siarad am doriadau, cwyno am wlad,Ond a glywant ein lleisiau ni o gwbl erioed? Pryd mae llais yn peidio â bod?Pan fo’n sgript, yn syniad ffôl.Dadleuon gwag, yr un hen stori,Yr un hen sain,…
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Life Sentence
A learning disability—a life sentence, they say,Hear me out, let me explain the way. Life’s not a box, but for many like me,It’s four tight walls, no space to be free. No places to go, no people to see, Confidence shattered, no self-belief. The world moves fast—9 to 5,But we just want to feel alive. We want to Stay Up Late, to break the mold,Yet mountains stand, high and cold. We climb, we push, but there’s only so far,Without a guide, without a star. A Gig Buddy won’t fix it all,But they’re the hand to catch our fall. A friend to walk beside, not ahead,To lift our spirits, not leave…
