Tomorrow is my birthday
It is then ‘my’ World Parkinson Day
An unforgettable day for over seven years
Tomorrow is my birthday
Parkinson’s, it makes our lives special
Boxing, walking, physical fitness, what a drudgery
We quickly have enough of stress, tremors and freezing
A poem about World Parkinson’s Day, this is the beginning,
Many a Young Parkinson’s patient thinks about career and family
Parkinson’s, it makes our lives special
Parkinson’s, shall I first introduce myself?
I miss a lot of dopamine
The accompaniment between thinking and doing
Missing that makes us green
We like to give that slowness to cotton
Parkinson’s, what else can I tell you about it?
Parkinson’s, what consequences, isn’t it?
Parkinson’s is progressive
That often makes our lives less positive
Regularly one pill more
That hurts quite a bit
Parkinson’s, what consequences, yes
Parkinson’s, if only I could park it
Parkinson’s, how tired I am sometimes
Then I have big plans, but I don’t know how
Then I want more things at the same time
But the disease is then too influential
Parkinson’s, if only I could park it
It’s our birthday tomorrow
What a special bond we have
What binds us is not only the trembling hand
But the invisible consequences
They are the ones that haunt us the most
It’s our birthday tomorrow
Parkinson’s, you have to learn to live with it
Much has been said about how to deal with this
Just open and honest, it doesn’t hurt!
Accept, said the psychologist, but he found no response
Thinking about relaxation and tranquility is common at Suite in Moordrecht
Parkinson’s, you have to learn to live with it
Parkinson’s, a new calling in my life
A day out and good conversation with nephew and niece
Lecture halls open for guest lectures
And so there are more nice contacts and I keep hoping
Because there is also light at dark times
Parkinson’s, a new calling in my life
Parkinson’s, it has enriched my life
Of course, I can think a lot about life back then
About what I could not do and what I could do
But with all those changes in life and behavior
Can I still live with a tear and a smile
Parkinson’s, it has enriched my life
Parkinson’s, it has enriched my life
Whoever writes stays
Helping others is what drives me
I can’t get enough of writing books, articles and blogs
Although it is sometimes a lot of hassle and toil
Parkinson’s, it has enriched my life
Parkinson’s, what a lot of new friends I have
Parkinson’s, young, male or female, it doesn’t matter
Doers, thinkers, we are all in the same boat
It is a disease that binds us
And that actually makes us positive
Parkinson’s, what many friends we have
Parkinson’s, what did I forget to tell you?
That it can sometimes cause me a lot of inconveniences
That there are challenges every morning
That it has enriched my life!
That shared sorrow means that you do not succumb
Parkinson’s, I think I can tell a lot more
Parkinsonday, we’re gonna celebrate our birthday,
Unfortunately, the disease manifests itself in various ways
Sometimes it hides for a while
But in the end it determines itself what it wants
For example, under stress, the tension passes through our muscles
Parkinsonday, is that how we are going to celebrate birthday?
Parkinson’s, what a life
Loss of balance, freezing, we start walking uncertainly
I would never have dared to think about a walk with a Rollz
That such a tool would give me a greater range
And there are more aids that we are going to buy
Parkinson’s, what a life
Parkinson’s, what more do I need to say?
Promise and yet forget, it happened in no time
It brings us new challenges, so don’t worry
Forgotten something now and then?
Just pretend you didn’t know
Parkinson’s, what more do I need to say
World Parks Sunday
A day with a tear and a smile
Would we miss Parkinson’s?
Then we would miss many contacts
The nice things after a bad day
Tomorrow is my birthday
Peter van den Berg (1974) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 39. He was previously a municipal lawyer and politically active for many years in the municipal council and Provincial Council. Van den Berg is co-editor of the collections ‘A new challenge with Parkinson’s’ (2019) and ‘Living better with a chronic-progressive disease’ (2020)
–