Family

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Monica is a special person. She is my youngest sister and suffers from Downs Syndrome. Monica is 27 years old but emotionally she is only about 4 years old because as an infant she had meningitis and was in a coma for four months. She came out of the coma severely brain damaged. She is a constant blessing in my life, she is loving and supportive in all things. Our other sister, Janelle, coreographed a ballet for Monica while studying at the UCT Ballet School and this poem was used in the sound track. The entire Downs Syndrome association arrived for the performance and there was not a dry eye in the audience. This is dedicated to all out there who are trapped in their own bodies, who long to communicate and for someone to understand them. Remember that the Heavenly Father knows you well.

Monica

Behind my smile hides a lifetime of tears and frustration
You think I’m stupid because of miscommunication

Don’t avoid making eye contact when I look your way
Don’t drop your voice to a whisper as you have your say

I am here and I am a real person just like you
Only, I can’t do all the things that you can do

You see I’m trapped in a physical jail called “me”
The bars of my own mind will not let me free

I’m called “mentally disabled”. What is “able” anyway?
Is there nothing wrong with you? Are you perfect in every way?

Downs Syndrome is the label they’ve given to my condition
You cannot cure or save me. I’m not a charity or mission.

You don’t know my life. You don’t even know my name.
Who are you to look at me with pity and say, “Ah shame”?

When I look at you, I smile a pure and honest smile.
I connect with your mind and soul and bless it for a while.

If you are looking sad or down or feeling any kind of fears
I will wrap my arms around you and share your pain and tears

I have no complications nor do I harbour insecurity
I love everyone I meet and accept them unconditionally

My eyes may be slanted but I can see you clearly
My mind may be immature but I still feel emotions dearly

I am luckier than what you are in almost every other way,
I have no worries for tomorrow and bare no regrets from yesterday.

The next time you see me, look right at me and know
There’s much more to me than what my physical features show

If you are daring, you might even get to know me and in the end
You’ll see that I can become a very special and loving friend

My name is Monica, by the way
Thank you for letting me talk to you today

Bronwyn Johnson, March 2002

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