Judge At All

Judgment.
All around me,
All around us
“You’re too fat”
“You’re too dumb”
“You’re not pretty enough”
“You will never be enough”
“You’re not capable”
“You can’t”
It is a challenge that we face daily
but it is a way of life
every moment
for them.
“You are too fat so you can’t play with us
because you are Prader-Willi Syndrome.”
“You are too dumb so you can’t come to a sleepover
because you are a learning disability.”
“You are not pretty enough to do our makeup together
because you are Down’s Syndrome”
“You are not popular nor will you ever be
because you are Autism.”
“You are not able to go the football game with us
because you are Cerebral Palsy.”
“You are too slow to watch TV with us
because you are deaf.”
Judgment.
All around me,
All around us.
If you are to judge,
judge not with your eyes on what they look like,
nor with your ears at what they sound like or intellectual process,
but judge at what is in their heart, soul, and
overwhelming enthusiasm for life itself.
If,
and only if,
you are to judge at all.
So I stand with persons who have Prader-Willi Syndrome
and we are hungry for a cure.
So I stand with persons who have a learning disability
and LD is what they have, not who they are.
So I stand with persons who have Down’s Syndrome
and keep calm, it’s only an extra chromosome.
So I stand with persons who have Autism
and don’t try to cure them, try to understand them.
So I stand with persons who have Cerebral Palsy
and the quiet people sometimes have the loudest minds.
So I stand with persons who have hard of hearing
and sign “Deaf Power”.
I declare this is only a heart judgement zone,
if,
and only if,
you are to judge at all.