DISSIMILAR?
I have a stoma, but so what?
it’s simply something that I’ve got.
It does not define who I am
or make me any less a man.
Some might say I’m different
but if they use this referent
I might smile and then reply
‘My stoma’s not the reason why’.
‘My stoma’ is a minor thing,
so for me, it does not ring
true to say this difference
should be given preference.
It’s true that stomas do not show,
so no one else would need to know
unless I told them, or let see
this thing that’s on the side of me.
I might be different, in that I
am not ashamed, and even try
to educate and illustrate
the fact that I’m an ostomate.
There’s many folk like me worldwide
who’re not afraid, and will not hide
from the fact we have these things
and the benefits it brings.
Dissimilarity is rife
in life, for humans, with their strife,
for each and every one’s unique
both in their minds and in physique.
I think dissimilarity
is not peculiarity,
but one thing where we can be proud
and something that we say out loud.
B.Withers 2023
