Medication
Dad pulled up at the front of the drop-off bay. He turned to look at me, expectant. I’m sure he said something like, ‘Good luck! Have fun!’, but it was little use to me. All I could think about was how I might puke at any second. Even something as trivial as moving my hand […]
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POEM: Sleepless Nights
i lie awake at night with my heart racing and with my brain catastrophising. i don’t know if it really counts as catastrophising though. how can it be if the waking nightmares i conjure aren’t far-fetched fantastical situations? everything i imagine is what i have been told by doctors could realistically be my future and […]
Continue ReadingPOEM: Sometimes it feels as if we born to STRUGGLE.
But I don’t know any ‘healthy’ person that wouldn’t BUCKLE, trying to JUGGLE the appointments, the MEDICATIONS, the societal EXPECTATIONS that we are forced to CONQUER. They say that our experiences make us STRONGER… but being queer, being disabled, being anything other than a rich white man is a death sentence. We are supposed to […]
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POEM: Everything Goes On
In a moment, your mind stops working. By the second, it tries to process things. Within minutes, you start denying— That’s when sadness and confusion begin to kick in. In hours, it feels like everything is falling from the sky. As days turn to nights, and weeks go by, You still suffer, but get used […]
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POEM: Bedtime Routine
1 2 3 4 5 six 7 Door closed, window closed, fan on. Check wardrobes to make sure nobody is inside. Close wardrobe doors. Check wardrobe doors are closed. Check again. Double check. Are you even trying? Check again. 1 2 3 4 5 six 7 Turn desk chair so it isn’t facing you. Check […]
Continue ReadingPOEM: Chronic
Written by Cass Hayward Views: 0
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POEM: Pas de Deux
Brittle leaves crack with the promise of lifein the paw of a Beast I’ve tracked for some time.We have long since mastered the dance of the hunt,I was sure of the kill like I was sure of the cut. I had met this Beast just once beforewhen I thought I’d lost the path of its […]
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A Yap With Definitely No Ulterior Messaging
From the beginning you have been there. From the time at which I wake to the time I sleep you are there and Unlike the experiences with which I fill my days that come and go as they please, you have stayed with me through it all as a constant Companion. You bring me weakness […]
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What is disability pride?
That’s a question I’ve pondered myself. It’s a concept that’s pretty foreign to me and my view of myself. We were taught from a young age to downplay our disabilities, to ignore them, to change our behaviour and to do anything we can to act like everyone around us. I’ve been in psychology for a […]
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A very brief history of the Disability Collective: Where it began and where it is now
Content warning: This piece includes mentions of ableism and derogatory terms for disabled people. If you’ve been involved with the UQ Union at all, you may have heard of the UQU Disability Collective. As stated on the Union’s website, the collective is a branch of the union, ‘concerned with the advocacy, support and social connectedness […]
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