Sharon O'Connell Disher, an Anderson Township teacher and mother of two sons with ADD, has captured that experience in a poem she wrote on her son's high school graduation last year:

Cloudy But Clearing

By Sharon O'Connell Disher

I had it...I put it...
it has to be here.
I did it... I wrote it...
oh how I fear,

I lost it or maybe...
the dog took a bite,
And ate up my homework
as I slept overnight.

I cleaned it...I picked up.
I moved it around,
I dusted...I straightened
from ceiling to ground.

I shuffled...I shifted...
I poked and I pulled,
I uncovered dust bombs
and dishes with mold.

Try as I might...
try as I may,
I'm trying to be good
and do good today.

But everything's jumbled...
everything's mixed,
Everything's moving...
nothing is fixed.

It's difficult dealing
With a brain such as mine
It takes me to places
Then leaves me behind.

I'll catch up...I'll get there...
I'll finish. .. I will.
If only time slowed down
and learned to stand still.
Everyone's laughing
and poking such fun,
Not with me but at me,
I am the one.

Who's wiggling and tapping
and not sitting still,
Slipping and sliding
and talking until.
The teacher gets flustered,
the teacher gets mad,
The kids start to snicker,
if only I had.

Hands and a body...
a mind that was still,
Maybe I'd fit in,
someday I will.

It's difficult dealing
With a brain such as mine
Cloudy but clearing
Someday I will shine.

It may take a month,
or maybe a year,
A decade may pass,
until I am clear.

On what are my goals,
or how do I do,
The everyday things
that are easy for you.

But I'll make it, won't fake it,
no matter how long.
I'm not giving up,
I've got to belong.

Until I get there,
and until I'm done,
With my wiggling, jiggling,
marathon run.

I have a request...
a small one you see,
For whatever I am,
I'll always be me.

All that I am,
and all that I do,
are reflections that bounce back,
to me sent from you.

Patience and caring
, a hug and some smiles,
Can carry me far...
perhaps millions of miles.

It's difficult dealing
With a brain such as mine,
With everyone's help.
I know I'll be fine.

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