In God's good world, no jokes
There are simply all kinds of folks
Some are fair, some are brown
Some are poor, some wear a crown
But a few,
In a hundred just two
Have on their skin
May be chin
Or on their shin
A patch of white
Like a dappled light
Light! Did you say Light!
The patch looks lovely bright
But for many
This patch of light
Is not a good sight
Mothers freeze!
Fathers trapeze!!
What sins we did
To deserve such a kid
The first reaction
Is to hide and cover
Let not any one discover!
Don't show your charms
Cover your arms
Wear long sleeves
In the sultry heat
Difficulties count
Anxieties mount
All specialists fail
Tall claims derail!
Then everyone is set
On the Internet
Where Quacks loot
They need the boot!
Soon the white patch
Grows and spreads
The sun makes it
A little red
But touch it, tickle it,
Lick it, twitch it,
It feels like any other
Patch of skin
A little faded perhaps
Otherwise all akin.
The story begins now
For we must question how
A white patch on the face
A bit of skin on the surface
Can become so sore
And affect the core!
How can it traumatize?
How can it paralyze?
HIV and AIDS
Let us face
Are threatening
To wipe out
The human race
But how can Vitiligo
Harmless, not even skin deep
Can cause trauma so deep?
It's time we spoke the thruth
And nail the lie.
Vitiligo is not a disease
It is just state where
The body's share
Of melanin
Color pigment
Grows a little thin.
That's ALL.
People with Vitiligo
And God has been kind
Have a very healthy body
AND an equally healthy mind
So move AHEAD
Learn More, Care More
Share Skills, Change Lives
We've split the atom
But not our Prejudice
It's time to celebrate
Our differences
Celebrate the confluence
Of
Ying and Yang
Of Dark and White
The splendid hues of
Differences and dignity
Nature hates monocultures
Both of body and the mind
You will find this strewn on leaves
Most leaves are dark,
others pale
But a few leaves are both dark and pale
These leaves are often overrated
Scientists call them VARIEGATED.
So if you ever meet
A child with white patch
She might be sulking
Miserable, in a catch
Make her feel great
Touch her soul
Lift her self-esteem
So that she feels liberated
And her spirits
Can soar.
- A poem by Arvind Gupta arvindtoys@gmail.com
skipping a few breathes
the sweat trickles down the neck
down the cleavage
and onto the midrib
it dries up fast before it goes further
the salt remains
like the patch of vitiligo
white on brown skin
aesthetically speaking
it is appealing
this combination of colours
not the white
not the brown
but the two together
not for long though
till one over powers the other
and there you are then
either brown
or white.
-by Mrs. Manmeet
I look at my arms and see a poison covering me
sneaking up where everyone can see
why is this happening to me?
my mom says I’m special
I say I’m a freak
I’m tired of seeing it week after week
Sometimes when I’m happy
I forget for a minute that it’s covering me
and then some nosey person reminds me
why nosey person did you remind me?
What happened to you?
You got a bad sunburn?
Were you in a fire?
Why would you ask me such a question?
Would you ask a one legged girl where was her other leg?
No way, that would be evil, considered mean
The worst are innocent little children
just wondering, confused by this strange looking person
they feel they have to know a reason
but I guess they are just human beings
wondering, nosey not understanding
the depression they are handing me
on a platter in front of my face
serving up sadness from a lonely place
one you can only know if you slowly watch your skin go
go away turn this awful white
when you would rather go out at night
so no one will see the bright white
the feeling of being the only one in jeans 24-7
is not exactly my kind of heaven
hot and sweaty with these long pants
just so no one gets a glance
I wish I could know why this happened to me
to press a magic button and be set free
to look in the mirror and only see me
people say it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white
they mean race I mean skin color
it doesn’t matter if you’re one or the other
but how about both, right next to each other.
-by Ruby
You came into my life,
was there a reason?
Wherever Emily goes, you go,
you pesky vitiligo.
One day it will be just her,
healthy through and through.
Slowly you'll leave her,
until the day that you're gone.
I won't miss you a bit.
I won't see you again,
you pesky vitiligo. One day I will say,
vitiligo, where did you go?
Was there a reason that you left?
We made many changes,
which one worked?
You are a puzzle, vitiligo.
-by Eric Fricker
