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Jul 26, 2025
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When the Tool is Conditional
I disclosed because my silence
could not survive.
The page blurred.
My words, swallowed whole.
You corrected it
for others to come.
I became the necessary failure,
the first to fall through your intention.
You asked how I see.
I said,
like navigating broken mirrors,
dodging injury you never imagined.
You thanked me for my patience.
But what you mistook for grace
was exhaustion.
Did you mean well?
Perhaps.
But kindness delayed does not arrive
as kindness.
About This Poem
Editing Stage: Editing - draft
Comments
Candlewitch
2 months 1 week ago
Dear Ruby,
How I would ever love to hear you speak these words...so eloquent and pregnant with honesty and grace! You have such a way with your delivery... I am always enthralled by your poetry. thank you,
much love, Cat
Ruby Lord
2 months ago
Thank you, Cat, for reading…
Thank you, Cat, for reading and taking the time to comment. I’m glad the poem spoke to you, and that you found something honest and eloquent in it. I can’t say it was a pleasure to write. Honesty rarely is, especially when self-expression demands such exposure.
You are much loved, Ruby xx
Michael Anthony
2 months 1 week ago
What she said Ruby!…
What she said Ruby! Beautifully worded poem that speaks to the heart of this particular pain - well done!
Ruby Lord
2 months ago
Thank you for reading and…
Thank you for reading and responding, Michael.
I suppose we become the sum of our pains, don’t we, worn into shape by time. Ruby xx
Geezer
2 months ago
The meaning...
of this piece is not easily discernable, but I do see the intimation of a perceived slight and wonder the circumstances. Well written, it speaks of a kind of an out of hand dismissal of an opinion that was asked for? ~ Geez.
.
Ruby Lord
2 months ago
Hi Geezer, thank you for…
Hi Geezer, thank you for reading and commenting. I think the meaning is clear to those who live with disability. Dismissal isn’t always loud. It often arrives in the shape of being overlooked. That quiet strain wears people down, and that’s what this poem is about. Ruby :)
Geezer
2 months ago
That is something...
that I do understand! I feel that there are times that I have been unappreciated and overlooked. Now that my disabilities have taken me from a life that was filled with physical accomplishment; my broken body lets me down at every turn. I do understand that those who are still physically fit, move on and I am excluded from the life that I once led, with the occasional visit when they have a spare moment to feel ashamed. Such is life. Well said, I just needed the clarity which you have provided. Thank you,
~ Geez.
.