Diabetes from the Eyes of a Baby: Mommy Says No Touch

Diabetes Blog Week is here and each day presents an exciting new prompt. I loved the idea of writing a poem about diabetes (Tuesday’s challenge). I was also interested in one of the wildcard options: “personify a diabetes tool… let it speak through you.” I decided to combine the two prompts and write a poem about diabetes from the perspective of something other than myself… but that something became someone: my 14 month old daughter.

Me tap screen

Me push button

Me pick up blue pieces

Mommy says No Touch

Me crunch wrappers

Me pull wire

Me squeeze belly band-aid

Mommy says No Touch

Me shake candies

Me open drawer

Me find little bottle

Mommy says No Touch

She hides it all away

Not for me to play

Mommy says No Touch

Mommy says No Touch

She hugs me, says she cares

That’s why she won’t share

Sounds silly to me

But I’m just a baby

Sometimes she is high

She puffs a great big sigh

Other times she cries

Me no know why

Sometimes she is low

She moves very slow

Daddy has to help

Mommy sits and melts

Maybe when I’m big

She’ll tell me what it is

For now me try my best

When Mommy says No Touch

Jennifer Jacobs

Jennifer Jacobs grew up in Long Island, New York. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age twelve. The challenges of living with diabetes have inspired Jen to be creative. She makes “diabetes art,” which can be viewed on her website, www.diabetesart.com. Work from Jen’s Diabetes Revealed series has been exhibited at various events in the NY-metro area. She also writes about diabetes and is putting together an essay collection.

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