Maria writes about her experience as a parent with a disability. She brings to life the topic of protection and highlights the mama bear in all mothers.
Mama Bear
You were six years old.
It was around the time when your brother
had become unruly
and a bully
to you.
We were spending the summer in IL,
in a little town called Antioch,
and I still choke
at the memory of you on your bike,
waiting for me
across the railroad tracks.
Your brother had taken off, mad,
and left us behind
while you waited
to make sure I made it safely.
You were just a little boy,
but already felt responsible for me
as if you were the adult…
as if you could
actually protect me from harm.
It was supposed to be
the other way around,
but even at such a tender age
you had already been convinced
that having me as a mom
meant you
having to take care
of me,
and that was the first of the lies
that changed your life…,
and one of the lies
you’re still unlearning
to this day.
As you got older,
you got a chance to see
how independent and strong
I’ve always been
and how disempowered
I had been made to feel
by those who refused to believe
that I had always been
your mother,
and will forever be
your mother –
because you came from me,
and not from the ableist lies
that taught you to not feel safe
with me
or taught you to doubt
my ability to be your mom.
I think that’s why you were so shocked
one day
when I went after some boys
who’d attempted to steal your bike
and I scared the crap out of them,
because wheelchair and all,
the power of my words
weighed more
than their preconceived ideas
of what ability may be.
“Don’t mess with Mama Bear,”
I thought to myself
as I rolled back home with you
and your bike,
and I think, for the very first time,
you realized
your mother in a wheelchair
can kick ass.
Sometimes you still forget that,
but you always remember
that all mothers become bears
when it comes
to protecting their young.
—
Thank you to Maria Palacios for sharing her poetry with AbleThrive. Maria is a poet, author, spoken word performer, public speaker, professional presenter and workshop facilitator, polio survivor and disability rights activist, and a mother of two. Her work is spirited by her own woman experience and embraces and promotes self-acceptance, empowerment, and social justice surrounding people with disabilities, gender and sexuality, teen girls and women, and a wide spectrum of issues as they relate to diversity. Her hopeful message of pride is consistent throughout her raw and often sensual work. Known in the artistic world as The Goddess on Wheels, her multicultural background and passion for onstage performance have come to life through numerous events over the years.