Pixiepalace

I haven’t talked about it much on my blog, but I have a headache every day. With all the low pressure fronts moving in with the rain in the springtime it’s been really hard on me lately. What I have is a very unusual condition where I essentially have a migraine every minute of every day. Really. It started in high school and I’ve had that *exact same headache* ever since. And I deal, because what else am I going to do? But it makes life very, very difficult. I’m lucky in that most of the people around me are incredibly supportive, even if it’s hard for them to really understand sometimes. I appreciate that more than I can say. I do encounter people who don’t get it. They do the “it’s just a headache” thing. But it’s not just a headache. It’s a migraine and it’s every single day. Anyone who has had a migraine can tell you that it is in no way JUST a headache. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. So when I stumbled on this poem on the internet, it really hit home. I know I probably shouldn’t reproduce the whole thing here, but I’m going to because I really want people to see it. The poem is from a contest on the website Help for Headaches and Migraines and is written by Teresa Ramos. There are some other wonderful poems from the contest there as well, so if you are interested at all, please check them out!

The Usual

I hate to be a complainer,
because lord knows I could complain every day,
and that gets irritating and annoying
and who wants to talk about it really
If you ask I will just say -
the usual

Yes, I see you looking at me with concern
I look pale, tired, frightful even
If you ask I will just say -
the usual

Sometimes you can tell that I have a horrible migraine
It shows in my face, my eyes, the way I carry my head
If you ask I will just say -
the usual

I certainly appreciate the question,
but sometimes just talking is a hardship
I will just do what I need to the best I can
If you ask I will say -
the usual

There are times that I will feel worse,
and times I will feel better,
If you ask I will just say -
the usual

Thank you Teresa Ramos for writing such a great poem that reflected so clearly what it’s like! I really appreciated it!

The Poetry Friday round-up this week is at Big A little a, so go check it out!