WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Poem by Ms. Megan M. Jones

This poem was shared by its writer at a meeting hosted by NC TASH in the autumn. It is shared here with Ms. Jones' permission:

Where Do We Go From Here?

Where do we go from here?
Every thing is changing yet again
how do I keep from becoming invisible?
A crisis case
and a case file
or just another statistic.
Look down and see us
the people who voted for you
we need you now.
Look down and see the legs you stand on
and stop looking down on us!
We are not a budget expenditure
nor a case file
nor a number.
I have a name and and a heart.
We have needs, talents and strengths.
Just because she is in a wheelchair
and I'm half deaf
doesn't mean we are expendable
when the budget gets tight.
Where do you expect us to go when our services disappear? >
Our resources are limited
but we cannot be tossed into storage
like and old pair of sneakers.
I don't know where we'll go
but we'll find ways to stand together.
We will not just disappear!
Not as long as I have breath,
A name and a heart.