MARTYRS

by
Steven E. Brown
©1994-2023

All Rights Reserved

Institute on Disability Culture

http://www.instituteondisabilityculture.org

I.

The following have drawn their last breath,

They've been courted by death

Many gave their lives to the cause

Their passing should give us pause

Many gave all their hearts had to give

So the rest of us might live

II.

Joe Amoroso...

Nan Arbuckle...
​
Keith Armstrong...

Adrienne Asch....

Mike Auberger...

Mario Avila...

Maria Barile...

Drew Batavia…

Sandra Beasley...

Bill Bean…

Barb Bechdol...

​Shelley Bergum...

Sheldon Berrol...

Paul Bilzi...

Larry Bishop...

danny Blake...

Wade Blank...

Elizabeth Boggs...

Doris Brennan…

Marca Bristo...

Lisa Bufano...

Deidre Davis Butler…

Phil Calkins...

John Callahan...

Lindsay Carter...

Tom Carter...

Judi Chamberlin…

Roger Chambers...

​John Chappell...

Phil Chavez...

Ray Cheever...

​Paul Church...

John Clogston...

​Mike Collins...

Kitty Cone...

​Patrick Wm Connally

Tim Cook...

Barry Corbet…

Deborah Cunningham...

HolLynn D'Lil...

Susan Daniels...

Justin Dart…

Gerald Davis...

Speed Davis...

Dave De Weerd...

Patti Deak...

Maggie Dee Dowling...

Tanis Doe…

Phil Draper...   

Rick Douglas...

Yvonne Duffy...

​Carl Durocher...

Gunnar & Rosemary Dybwad…

Cheryl Elliott...

Ethan Ellis...

Henry Enns…

III.

The list is not complete

There will never be such a feat;

The deeds are not done

Many more tales have yet to be sung:

My list, my friends, my foes, the lines grow longer every day,

Leaving me breathless, with much too little to say,

Tribute to those whose voices we no longer hear,

Tribute to those whose vision we still are privileged to see,

Tribute to those whose dreams are yet to be;

Death be not too loud,

Life's accomplishments demand be proud:

IV.

Pat Fallin...

Fred Fay...

Barbara Waxman Fiduccia…

Pat Figueroa...

Vic Finkelstein...

Eunice Fiorito...

Lockhart Follin-Mace...

​Duane French...

Adina Frieden...

Hugh Gregory Gallagher…

Gerald Garner...

​Mark Goffeney...

Marilyn Golden...

Linda Gonzales...

David Gray...

Deanna Gregorio...

 Lucy Gwin...

Harlan Hahn…

Rebekah Hallford...
 
Madeline Harcourt....

Gary Harmon...

Lynn Hart...

Paul Hearne...

Chester Helms...

Laura Hershey...

John Hessler...
​
Judy Heumann...

Dave Hingsburger…

Henry Holden...

Anne Marie Hopkins...

Cristina Hopkins...

Diane Hugaert…

​Lydia Igitol...

Neil Jacobson...

Dan Johnson...

Harriet McBryde Johnson...

Jay Johnson…

Paul Kahn...

Matthew Kaopio, Jr....

Evan Kemp...

Barbara Knowlen...

Doug Koehner...

Kalle Könkkölä… 

David Landes...

Douglas Lathrop...

Gini Laurie...

Frank Lozano...

Tom Lee...

Bob Liston...

Paul Longmore...

William Loughborough...

Carrie Ann Lucas...

Josh Lukin...
​
Dara McLaughlin…

Durward McDaniel...

Barbara McKee...

Kirk MacGugan...

Ron Mace...

​James Magill...

Lynn Manning...

Neil Marcus...

Douglas Martin…

Robert Mauro...

Lorenzo Milam…

Stacey Park Milbern…

Paul Miller...

Sharon Mistler…

Bill  Mitchell…

Marshall Mitchell...

Kaiya Montaocean…

Frank Moore...

Howard Moses…

V.

Remember, we remember, tears and laughter,

Friends and foes

Hugs in victory, surrender from those we oppose,

Remember, we remember, laughter and tears,

Cries and fears;

Remember, we remember, heroes and martyrs,

Deals and barters,

Remember, we remember, those who have gone before,

Remember, we remember, those who paved the way,

Remember, we remember, for those of us who stay,

Remember, we remember, for all our descendants who will be here one day.

Remember, we remember...

Remember, we remember...

We remember...we remember...

Remember...we remember...

Memories will stay,

It's up to all of us,

To make sure and say,

Memories will remain to energize each day,

Memories will keep the wolves at bay,

Memories will sustain our way.


No list will ever be complete

There will never be such a feat;

The deeds are not done


Many more tales have yet to be sung:

VI.

Sharon Nelson...

​Margaret (Peg) Nosek

Tim Nugent...

Lonnie Nungesser...

Susan Nussbaum...

Mark O'Brien...

Catherine Odette...

​Mary Jane Owen...

Kim Palmer...

Connie Panzarino…

​Larry Paradis...

Christine Parkhurst…

Bill Peace...

Linda Pedro...

Kim Peek...

Michael Peluso...

Arthur Pepine...

Caesar Perotti...

Joakim Peter...

David Pfeiffer…

Alexander Phiri...

Mary Frances Platt…

Richard Radtke…

Scott Rains...

Laura Rauscher

​Gordon Richins...
​
Ed Roberts...

Britt Robillard...

Gene Rodgers…

Bob Romero...

Jason Ross...

Clive Rosser…

Helen Roth...

Phyllis Rubenfeld…

​Kim Weol Soon Rupnow...

Marta Russell..
​
Marsha Saxton...

Marilyn Saviola...

Randy Shilts...

Tobin Siebers...

Ruth Sienkiewicz Mercer...

Ernest Simpson...

Bente Skansgård...

Paul Spooner…
​
Chris Smit...

Greg Smith...
​​
Judith Snow....

Ian Stanton...

Max Starkloff...

Maureen Stephens…

Phil Stinebuck…

Karen Stone…

Anna Stonum...

Benjamin Stuart...

Mitch Stuart...

Roland Sykes…
​
Bill Tainter...

Steve Taylor...

Jane Thiboutout...
​
Anthony Thanasayan...
​
Carol Thuringer Berger...
​
​Jason Uesato...

Lenny Van Pelt...

Diana Viets...
​
Larry Voss...

Earl Walden...

Sylvia Walker…

Paul Wellstone…

Celeste White…

Betsy Whitney...

Harold Wilke…

John Williams...

​Lee Williams...

Michael Winter...

Kanalu Young

Stella Young...

​Tony Young...

Ray Zanella...

Irving Kenneth Zola...

​Hale Zukas...

VII.

These tales we tell have begun,

Songs and poems and stories in all their glories

These tales we tell have begun,

I don't believe an ending will ever come.


Originally published in Steven E. Brown,
Pain, Plain and Fancy Rappings: Poetry from the Disability Culture, 1995. 
​Signed copies available for $10.00 USA/$20.00 international with pre-paid check:
Ask for more information at: disculture@gmail.com