What was the
outcome of this
experience, on the
poet?
Answers
Explanation:
When I think about all the things which influence me to write a poem, personal experience leaps out as a major factor. This may be because I am newly disabled and chronically ill. I can no longer eat or drink and I am a wheelchair user. I have experienced many traumatic events over the last few years, and poetry has been an amazing way for me to begin processing these life changes. I write about disability and the realities of becoming seriously unwell because I want others to get a sense of what I am going through. I want them to think as they are building new shops – could a wheelchair get in here? Should we include a ramp? I want people to stop staring at the tube on my face and notice how long I’ve spent on my amazing eyeliner instead. I want disabled people to have to stop fighting to use public transport because empty buggies are taking up the space. I write in the hope of inclusion. Below is a poem I wrote about an average trip in to town for me as a wheelchair user.