A little seriousness for once

[GreggC]

I wrote this poem when I was working as a community work supervisor, supervising developmentally disabled folks because I believe in their right to be out in the community working along with others should they wish to:

We perform well when put to the test,
With our clothes in order, very neatly dressed.
We're all ready, all you have to do is ask,
When there's work to be done, we're up to the task.
I'm a person with feelings-a good human being,
Some people miss what's inside-it's only the outside they're seeing.
You see, these jobs we want increase self-esteem,
Compared to what it could be, this is a dream.
Having a job allows me to go on lunches and picnics and such,
Things taken for granted by some and loved so much.
I just want to get a foot in the door,
It will permit me to do things I couldn't do before.
If I'm in the community, you know it's a fact,
That it gives me more time to relate and interact.
Help me get away from total dependence,
So I can find self-determination and in-dependence.
You see, freedom of choice is important to me,
because it means that I CAN be what I want to be.

It took me about fifteen minutes to write this because after working with them, you begin to find out what prejudice is really all about. There are very few people who have to put up with what they face daily, and they are as forgotten as folks in the old folks home.