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Zoey Mercado: Telling his story – one poem at a time

1/8/2015

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I'm always up for blog post suggestions, so when my friend Sarah told me about a book her cousin wrote I figured I would check it out and see if it merited a post. And boy, did it.

Meet Zoey Mercado, a young poet who just happens to have Down syndrome. And what does someone as unique and talented as Zoey do? He publishes a book, of course.

Zoey's 2014 self-published book Hope For My Future: Thoughts on life with Down syndrome is a collection of poetry written between 2007 and the present. Below is an excerpt from the book – a poem titled "Broken Man," which Zoey explains was written about his high school experience.

Look at me
And tell me
Who do you see?
Do you think I am not the same?

I cannot change who I am.
I never wanted to be mentally retarded.

Feels like –
No one wants me
I am nothing but
Sand to them.
You will never know what I feel
About myself.
Like a totally broken man –
The way I feel about my disability.

My heart is shattered glass
Broken on the floor.
I wish I understood why I am
Invisible.
Why I have been put in a world called
Disabled
But I don’t feel disabled.

Picture
– "Broken Man" by Zoey Mercado

It is through poems like this that Zoey is able to open his world up to his readers. His poetry conveys a range of emotions – from sadness to confusion, hopefulness to happiness – all of which share an intimate view of life with Down syndrome that some people may never be exposed to if not for his poetry.

The back cover of his book reads, "Zoey hopes that through his poetry others will appreciate the depth of his creativity and his passion for writing. He would also like to encourage all persons with disabilities to find their voice through the arts."

I hope they can too, Zoey. You're already setting a great example for others to follow suit. Thank you for letting us take a look into what life is like through your eyes. Keep writing! And I'll keep reading.

If you're interested in purchasing Zoey's book (it's under $7!) visit Amazon or CreateSpace.
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    Author

    Tessa Fox is the Early Literacy Librarian at the Kenosha Public Library. After working in the journalism and publishing fields, Tessa decided to dedicate her life to books and public librarianship, and went back to school to get her Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she graduated in December 2016. Tessa has been working in public libraries since 2014. Disclaimer: The views expressed here are mine alone and do not reflect those of my employer.


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