Poem
[Image: A black and white photo of a young woman who looks like she has been crying. There is a mascara running down her left cheek. She has her hair pulled back into a bun.]
Credit: https://unsplash.com/@dani_franco?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash
We’re living statues carved by pain, the silent prisoners to this shame.
Bound by chains of memories deep, a life now lost, a heart of secrets we keep.
Yet behind our eyes, a hope still gleams, the yearning for our shattered dreams.
A blanket of courage through the hopeless nights, these promises born of our inner light.
For even statues may learn to dance, with love and care, a fleeting chance.
So tall we stand, though fixed in stone, facing the dawn, once more alone.
A life beyond, a burning flame,
Forever statues we’ll remain.
Author bio and social media handles
Instagram handle: @laurenmayy_
Lauren is a proud LGBTQIA+ woman with multiple lived experiences of disability including chronic illness and
neurodivergence. She is passionate about disability inclusion, creating community and uses her background within the
mental health and disability sphere as a way to advocate and strive for change in social attitudes towards disability.