Poem: Let’s Sing and Dance Until We Drop (or Dancing with Dysarthria)
Annette, a stroke survivor, has written a poem to convey what it’s like to experience dysarthria.
Let’s Sing and Dance Until We Drop (or Dancing with Dysarthria)
Come on, let’s put some music on
Let’s sing and dance until we drop,
Up as loud as it will go – I like this one a lot.
And when they shout out… “Turn it down!!!”
We’ll pretend we haven’t heard.
What do you mean? – ‘sing louder’
I’m singing as loud as I can.
What do you mean? – ‘those aren’t the words’
The right words are in my head.
What do you mean I don’t sound right?
Inside I’m singing with all my might.
Mouth and feet just refuse to do
The things that I am telling them to.
Believe me, dearest, I’ve not changed
Inside I sing and dance the same,
It’s just my body that gets it wrong
As if singing wrong words to a favourite song.
Inside I’m still that same old me
Tho’ my body may act absurd
As if someone has shouted, “Turn it down!!!”
– It pretends it hasn’t heard.
Annette Dancer, 2019
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