2006 - Vol. 3, Issue 6

In the condo

she, in a wheelchair,
lost her husband
to cancer two years past

Accounts of the sufferings endured by people with epilepsy appear dating back to the Bible and other very early works. These writings reveal the most deeply ingrained negative stereotypes and idealized myths about people with epilepsy. The popular conceptions include the violent, frothing epileptic possessed by the Devil and, conversely, the ethereal visionary. Some writings present people with epilepsy as being intellectually disabled, while others present them as geniuses. Because most people seem to think that it is impossible for citizens with epilepsy to be happy and normal, epilepsy is often linked with suicidality.

He wouldn't kiss me,
said it was too weird.
Even though he'd begged me for it
five thousand times
before that day in the theater.

I am a number or
I am a face
sunglasses covering eyes
tired and swollen shut
today my inner anger
wants to have her say
as you pass by in dozens

The last part of my food stamp interview was more familiar to me than it should've been. A cop–show junkie since my early teens, I'd seen a few people fingerprinted in my time. I was prepared for the dingy walls covered in public–service–type AIDS posters that curled up slightly at the corners, if not the putrid pink shade of the walls, which I supposed the powers that be believed to be calming.

I noticed my grasp was making my papers damp and thought, Yeah, works like a charm. I'm so calm it's dripping out of my pores. Every time I went to one of these appointments, my nerves were on high alert, as if I were a spy with microfilm in my bra, even though there was no reason for it. I was so conscious of the dramatic possibilities of the moment I wondered if I should've called my lawyer. Of course I didn't have a lawyer, since technically my only crime was being busted during a boom, but I was already serving a lifelong sentence as a crip and therefore didn't need any additional black marks against me.

Stay in the corner
of the pool where your mother
puts you. Get your head jumped on
by a taller boy who yells "Watch
where you're going."
Tell him you can't,
hope he'll be shocked,
but stay in your space
measured in waves
sent by those who swim
away from walls.

This month we continue to explore the questions raised by last month's editorial about disability culture writing. The dialogue that ensued among certain readers and Breath & Shadow staff brought forth some interesting — and diverse — viewpoints and seemed worthy of being included in this month's editorial. Below, we endeavor to describe common themes in the writings of people with disabilities, explore the values and worldview of disability culture, and articulate the ways in which our disabilities have an impact on our writing, as individuals and as a social class. A list of websites on related topics is included at the bottom of this page. To read last month's editorial, click here or go to http://www.abilitymaine.org/breath/May06/sharon.html.