Poems by Shaun Fallows
A selection of Shaun Fallows' individual work produced over the course of his participation in 'Pen Pals'; our international artist development project with the British Council, showcased at DaDaFest International Festival 2022.
“THIS DISABLED SOCIETY”
This disabled society is the only thing disabling me
If it continues to never see
If it always wants to rock me upon its knee
If it gives just to call my bluff
To ease a subconscious guilt and then hope that's enough
This disabled society is the only thing disabling me
if it never even looks at updating outdated policy
I believe there’s a big unheard army but ask how much is it willing to value variety
This disabled society is the only thing disabling me
If it continues to never see
That we are waking up
Waking up
To ourselves and possibility
Only you look the fool for that pat on the head dog besotted rigidity
This disabled society is the only thing disabling me
Because that time is fading
I share in my eyes intrepidly
That we will not be forever twiddling r thumbs
We will not accept and be eternally
Thankful for crumbs
To the Comedians cos we can also laugh
To the Dentists, teachers and doctors
Who are not a broke knock knock joke
Keep smiling keeping aiming
Stay ambitious, stay warm
Because it will happen one day when we know our own worth
And we’ve always had perspective gifts to bring
“A TOAST TO AN IMPROVED SOCIETY”
To the disabled
Doctors
Detectives
Teachers
Poets
Musicians
And
Comedians
Cos yeah we can laugh too
We are not always the broke
Knock knock joke
As futures door will one day bend over its hinges
Cos we rammed it with our wheels
And then spliced it through personalities
Seen invisibility
Stay warm kinder with humility
Know your worth as we know ourselves
Be as you want to be
You decide free
No need to be a poster boy for the pain
"WHAT THEY SAID TO DERRICK"
"This is a poem about a guy I shared a room with when I arrived at college in Cheltenham. I was studying to be a specialist disability fitness instructor but back then I was completely different - very quiet and happy to let people do stuff for me. At certain points in your life though, there's a catalyst for change and mine was called Derrick. You see, the thing was when I saw what little Derrick could do. He had a special bed and a chair with tanks and stuff to help him and he couldn't talk. When I saw how the staff reacted to Derrick I was so scared that would happen to me. From that day I said, ‘I want more, I have to do more.’
I don't know what happened to Derrick but I bet he'll never know how much he helped me."
I shared a room with Derrick when I was just 16
and unless you've ever known Derrick it's hard to understand what I mean,
see Derrick only knew a few words
they were
‘Hello, you bugger’ and ‘mucky turds.’
They told me Derrick would be 31 soon,
but all I heard was when he chuckled a childlike tune,
chuckled that childlike tune every day, calling me mucky turds cos Shaun was so hard to say.
And
‘What will we do with you Derrick?’ was what they always said.
What they always did with Derrick was put Derrick to bed.
Then, every evening, when I went out for my tea at about six,
Derrick got his customary, mushy Weetabix
And
‘What will we do with you Derrick?’ was what they always said.
What they always did with Derrick was put Derrick to bed.
See, if you don't talk,
if you can't talk,
you become just another blocked drain
wondering if you're still sane.
So, that was my shock, sharp surprise -
if I ever saw Derrick with open eyes.
See, I shared a room with Derrick
and what they said to Derrick they'd never say -
no - never do to me.
From then I struggled hard away from the noose to be free.
--
Find out more about the Pen Pals cohort made up of Shaun Fallows, Hana Madness and Pelemo Ava Nyajo: