The Gamble

By Laura Hershey

We are taught not

to gamble.

Perhaps it is thought we have lost

enough already—legs, vision, speech,

the typical use

of our bodies.

Others' fears would teach us

to cringe at any thought

of any risk.

Disability and risk

don't mix.

Risk is something

we are supposed to be protected from—

by agencies, by professionals—

by parents, by doctors—

by invisibility,

by shame—

by confinement if necessary.

We must be kept safe: This is one of the lies

which fills the beds

of the so-called "homes."

So we embrace the risks

to fight the lies.

This is our gamble:

Minute by minute, city after city—

from the tense beginning to the jubilant or

scattered end

of every protest—

with every rhythmic word of every chant—

at each blocked entrance, each barricade—

with every defiant inch forward—

every move toward

freedom for our people—

any time we raise a fist

or a song

to mean

We're never going away—

in every confrontation, up and down the length

of the stand-off—

each and every time, we are

testing the humanity

of people who wear a badge,

carry a gun—

and fear our incomprehensible strength.

We know this is

a dangerous test—for some fail as extraordinarily

as others pass.

It is a gamble, risky and promising.

It may pay off

in unmet eyes or a curious stare,

surly dismissals or a question,

dialogue

or bruises.

Copyright Credit: Laura Hershey, "The Gamble" from Laura Hershey: On the Life & Work of an American Master. Copyright © 2019 by Laura Hershey. Reprinted by permission of The Estate of Laura Hershey.

Source: Laura Hershey: On the Life & Work of an American Master (Unsung Masters Series, 2019)