All Shook Up: The Little Book of Parkinson’s Poetry

By Sue Hammond

Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating, degenerative, life-changing condition with no cure.

Poetry is a powerful tool for people to express their deepest emotions. This is particularly good for people with disabilities who may not have any other way of expressing themselves. It can be a great release to let out all their pent-up feelings.

The poems in this book will take you on a journey into the physical and emotional challenges faced by people struggling to come to terms with this terrible illness, starting from the day they are first diagnosed. Some of the poems are a bit more lighthearted to show that we are not just defined by our condition.

The aim of this book is to give a better understanding and awareness of the many facets of this complex condition and the struggles faced on a daily basis by all those affected. Hopefully, it will also raise some much-needed funds for Parkinson’s UK.

All profits from the sale of this book will be going to Parkinson’s UK.

You can’t take my heart, you can’t take my soul
Whatever the agony, whatever the toll
I won’t let you beat me, I won’t let you win
I won’t stop fighting, I will never give in

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Feb 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543494426

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 by Sue Hammond.

ISBN:                  Softcover                  978-1-5434-9441-9

                            eBook                       978-1-5434-9442-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 01/31/2019

Xlibris

800-056-3182

www.Xlibrispublishing.co.uk

790775

Contents

Foreword

Introduction Poem

Parkinson’s poems By Sue Hammond

1     Just Diagnosed

2     I’m still me

3     The journey

4     PD Sound of Silence

5     Three years ago

6     It’s time to go

7     The Demons come at night

8     Betty Blue

9     Pd just keeps giving

10   Where’s our shining knight?

11   My Brain

12   Did I sleep? I forget

13   Please don’t judge

14   Uninvited Guests

15   Will I still be me?

16   Pd I’m all shook up

17   Dementia

Miscellaneous Poetry

18   Happy New Year

19   Glasses and Pen

20   Exciting and new

21   The lake shore

22   The Menagerie

Parkinson’s Poetry & Miscellaneous

23   Today I Cried For Me

24   Unwelcome Friend

25   No Angels Today

26   You Thief

27   I’m Still Me

28   Mr. Sandman

29   Peppermint Gel

30   Nobody’s Phone

31   Dark Clouds

32   Caught

33   Parkinson’s

34   Strictly Dancing On Thin Ice

35   Ministry Of Shakes And Tremor

36   Lonely

37   Morning

38   Despair In The Night

39   Concluding Poem

Acknowledgements

Parkinson’s UK Information

I would like to

dedicate this book to my three son’s Craig, Scott and Simon who keep me strong.

Foreword

My name is Sue Hammond and I have Parkinson’s. I wanted to produce this book to raise awareness and funding for the charity Parkinson’s UK.

When I was first diagnosed in September 2015 I embarked on a journey of self-understanding and learning about the effect Parkinson’s would have on my life.

There is a great release to be found in expressing oneself in poetry. These poems are often written during long sleepless nights when we only have our thoughts for company. Our local branch of Parkinson’s UK offers a great source of information and support for those affected by this condition. One popular activity is a singing for fun group. Parkinson’s affects the voice and facial muscles,