Andy is an Auckland-based poet. He was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s in 2009, aged 44. His poem Smaller is well known in the Parkinson’s community after winning the video competition at the World Parkinson’s Congress in 2013. Andy wrote this poem to help his daughters understand the visible changes of Parkinson’s. You can watch the winning video of Smaller below.
Andy’s poem Will I? is a close encounter with DBS surgery. The poem expresses hope for transformation and improved quality of life, alongside uncertainty and fear. It vividly conveys the complexity of emotion that significant medical experiences bring and raises questions about risk and self-identity.
In Every Glance Andy uses evocative language to convey emotional struggle. This vivid poem prompts readers to reflect on the complexities of self-perception and the need for conversations about illness.
Smaller
My world got smaller
my handwriting
my voice
my walk
my spirit
my balance
the space in the world I take up
It crept up on me — this slowness did
in micro increments
(those are big words for small and slow)
until it arrived with a name
And then it became BIG
and scary
and I didn’t want it
But now I had a face
a reason for the smallness
and so it became what it is
I may be smaller, slower
but I’m still me
