Sebastian from the Peer Support Group wrote this poem a while ago but was asked to read it at an event recently.
I think it deserves a wider audience.
SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A SOCK
Before accessing appropriate support
I suppose you could say some of us were
Living lives kind of like a single sock,
People labelled us odd, our days as per
Usual, being walked over and victims of mock.
We were full of holes, had no place to fit,
We felt we could not make it through alone,
Without a foot to lift us through life’s grit,
Forgotten items, all our chances blown.
We yearned a task, to help society,
To be like mainstream socks, carefree and bold,
Rising above our label, being free,
To work, to love, to be loved, break the mould.
But the harder we tried, more threads fell loose,
Completely unravelled, minus a use.
————————————————————-
First experience of entering appropriate support services
Strange how sometimes a wrong path you should take,
To find yourself exactly where you need,
Feeling welcome, understood, now awake,
Tough, but for the first time, hope to succeed.
Don’t expect to find a matching sock here,
But surprising mixes make special pairs,
Different colours and styles, halving our fears,
We support our new friends, start to repair.
We learn being ourselves is a good thing,
Change our outlook but don’t lose who we are,
Embrace the joy that being odd can bring,
Our hole stitched up now a proud battle scar.
Came here needing putting back together,
Darned bonds that will last though dismal weather.
—————————————————————-
A bright future – life with the right support
Freshly laundered, we now stand at the door,
Who can say what new adventures shall await,
As socks we know we’ll spend time on the floor,
But no more shall we treat ourselves with hate.
For we have learned to see another way,
A little aid, a sock may always need,
But we shall wake with purpose every day,
For without us, the foot that helps would bleed.
We know now we all have a role to play,
A bare foot would soon find trouble and pain,
On their own journeys, lean on us they may,
By working together we all can gain,
Joy, understanding, strength, an open mind,
To the world we emerge, no longer blind.
P.S. Lost a sock in communal washing machine,
I do miss that odd sock that used to be mine,
Send my love if it happens to be seen,
But tell it not to worry, I AM FINE.
