An Ode To the Spoonie Community

So much is strange in this life full of illness,
Nothing works right, too much pain, why must I feel this?
Spoons hell, these days I need ladles,
Every day it seems like I get more diagnostic labels.

I was a kid when all of this began
But I'm strong, I'll fight, it's just who I am.
I won't let it beat me, I won't let it keep me down,
'Yeah, right, who you kidding?' It whispers, when no one's around.

That's the struggle, you see, it's not just the pain,
It's yourself, your mind, it makes you doubt if you're sane!
"Am I really sick? Am I just crazy?"
"Maybe they're right. Maybe I am just lazy."
How many times have you thought the same?
How many times has your brain played the game?
You just thought about it, you just lost, you see,
No, not that game, the other one; your enemy.

You're stronger than you think, you're stronger than you know.
You smile when you wanna cry, you laugh instead of scream, the pain doesn't show!
We all wear that mask, we all fight through this shit,
We all crawl and struggle our way out of the pit.
The one so full of pain and despair,
So real that it burns and it claws and it tears.

We reach out for help, we reach out for a hand,
We reach out praying to God for someone to understand!
But no one does...not our friends, not our family...
We're alone, in the pain, the fatigue, the misery.
Until we discover each other, right as we're about to fall,
A hand grabs our own, and suddenly we hear a voice call,
"It's okay, I'm here, I understand. I know your pain, it's real, not in your head."
And suddenly that thousand pound weight on our ankles lifts along with our dread,
And for the first time, we can smile and laugh, and we can hold up our heads!

We have each other, forever and always you see,
All together, one and all, the Spoonie Community.
We overcome race, gender, and orientation,
Religion, politics, and geographic location.
We span the world, one hand in the other,
Brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers.
We help each other feel less alone, we know we're there,
And most of all, we know there are always people who care.

It doesn't matter now, what trouble may come my way,
Because I'll never face it alone, not any second, of any day.

~ Namaste