Thank gawd for the “weird” ones
who talk loud
who rabble-rouse
whose stories make you shift in your seat
who give you salty with their sweet
who ain’t neurotypical
who ain’t verbal
who slur their words
whose articulation is stuttered
who communicate in sign language
who use emphatic behavior
who drag their feet
who power roll down busy streets
who staccato strut with canes and crutches
whose lives many assume won’t amount to much
whose bodies are big and amputated
whose ADLs* are a bit complicated
whose accommodations seem complex
whose service animals ain’t for you to pet
who society decides as an afterthought to invest
whose existence is fodder for sitcoms and stand-up routines
whose assisted-suicides receive applause rather than their dreams
Amen to these beings who dare to be and show up sans apology
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*Activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting, and walking