Chairs

Here I sit
in a chair made of wood –
wooden legs, I can sit upon
and rise up from whenever I want to.
Surrounded by others
who also sit
in chairs like mine, made of wood –
with wooden legs.
The others sit in chairs with steel wheels
instead of wooden legs.
With motorized knobs directing where they go.
The one’s who sit in wheels
have legs, and feet of their own – like mine.
Their legs used to be like mine –
functional…sometime ago.
Now, their legs are problematic – useless.
Legs which feel like wood,
wet noodles, fire, painful needles, atrophied and stiff…
yet, here they sit – with me
in chairs of different means, but of similar purpose.
Together, we gather in our chairs and we sit,
talk, smile, nod and understand
for the same reason, sharing this disease
together, members of this exclusive club
no one has applied for.