This poem penned by a Liverpool Hope University student speaks of the ‘frustration’ and ‘anger’ at the way society views someone with a disability.
The powerful piece has received a ‘special commendation’ from competition organisers.
Melanie Kennedy-Diver is a Disability Studies Master’s degree student at Hope who enjoys writing in her spare time.
And Melanie’s short poem - ‘A Disabled Woman’ - lifts the lid on her experiences as someone with cerebral palsy.
Melanie, 22, submitted the verse to a poetry competition organised by the Youth Engagement Forum, an initiative run by National Museums Liverpool.
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The competition was launched to coincide with International Women's Day 2022, which takes place March 8th.
Not only was the poem praised by judges, Melanie says it’s particularly poignant for her because it reveals some of the obstacles she faces as a disabled woman.
Melanie, from Fleetwood, Lancs, reveals: “My poem expresses lots of different emotions - anger and frustration being two of them.
“But my anger is not directed at my disability, it’s directed at the way society looks at me, and others like me.
“I was born with my disability. I have to accept it. There’s nothing that will ever make it better.
“But what we can change is society’s view of people with disabilities. I’m often infantilised, called a ‘girl’ instead of a ‘woman’. Society also refuses to perceive that we have romantic feelings, too, just like anyone else.
“Even with the feminist movement, it often feels as if disabled women are being left behind in the conversation. I’m desperate for that to change.”
Melanie, who plans to continue writing whenever you can, says that if you take anything from her poem, it’s that you should engage with everyone equally.
She adds: “When you see a disabled person, just talk to them as you would anybody else. And if you have questions, just ask us.”
You can read Melanie’s poem in full below:
A Disabled Woman
What does it mean to be a disabled woman to me?
People see my frame and dismiss the person
a cage of metal they think, they do not see
that with time my condition may worsen
but in my frame, I will always be free.
They call my body deformed
a tragedy, a sorrow.
Something lost, something mourned
but I will stand again tomorrow.
I hear the words they call me
my body does not conform
however hard I try to be
I will never be the norm.
Dating is a game of roulette
they grow silent once they know
my body is a threat
they find their ways to go.
I am a disabled woman
I will stand again tomorrow.
My body does not conform
but know, I feel no sorrow.