We are thrilled to share that M.S. has her poem, “The Sparrows Shake Me, Wake Me” featured in the Beyond the Veil Press release: In Praise of Despair: Disability Pride Poetry, Essay, & Anthology. She has participated in several of our workshops with #MEAction Network. Read her poem and find more info below!
You can find her social media and more writing by M.S. at her website: TheRecliningPoet.com
Watch M.S. read her poem here!
You can also hear her poetry on the October 17, 2025 episode of KPFA’s Pushing Limits, produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton and hosted and edited by Dominick Trevethan, titled “Telling the Truth about COVID = Act of Resistance.” Timestamp 21:35!
The Sparrows Shake Me, Wake Me
My body and I have endured a thousand humiliations;
I was crying at the most recent, when suddenly a house sparrow
swooped past my window, landing in the soil below.
Then like lightning it flew onto a tree branch, trading places
with its fellow. The winged messenger quickly drew my eyes
to dozens of sparrows, brown bodies flitting from tree
to tree, rolling in the earth, hopping in the tall grass,
black beaks pecking at invisible treasures, voices
chirping incessantly.
I realized that the winter’s bare branches had sprouted leaves,
that the magnolias and cherry blossoms in the distance
were starting to bloom, that daffodils and crocuses
were springing up, bunches of hope.
You do not need to be able-bodied to merit a share
in the joys of life. You can be disabled, struggle through each day,
unable to leave home, unable to work, unable to be there
for loved ones’ birthdays, recitals, graduations, weddings —
and you can still taste nature’s beauty and delights.
Outside the open window:
bright clouds floating in a sunny blue sky,
intensified leaf and petal colors on grey days,
luscious floral scents drifting on the breeze,
a carpet of green ferns swaying in the wind like ocean waves.
The sparrows’ demanding cheeping, peeping, shrieking
shout at me, as if to shake me, wake me out of a haze,
remind me that the world’s love is for every creature,
as we float through the cosmos together.
