04 Tuesday Aug 2015
For my birthday this year,
I would like an upcycle;
You know, like when old furniture
Gets a new coat of paint for
An updated look on the outside,
Or like a well-loved stuffed animal
That gets totally new insides,
And its outside is refreshed.
Or like the recently emptied fruit jar,
Cleansed both inside and out,
And filled with sparkly lights.
I would be better than before,
Ready for a few years more.
06 Saturday Jun 2015
Tags
art, arthritis, children, family, flowers, health, heart, humor, inspiration, iris, life, love, mountains, Nature, philosophy, seasonal, weather, writing
I’m excited to share that I now have a book of poetry, Power of a Raindrop, published and available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and through the publisher. If you order from the publisher, the first 10 to order will receive 15% off the retail price. http://shop.ravenbooks.net.
19 Thursday Feb 2015
Tags
brain, fog, health, humor, life, Nature, poems, Poetry, poetry challenhe, writing 201
Quick-thinking brain of my long lost youth
left me without a goodbye, how uncouth!
Jeopardy champions in our own way;
you had the answers while I had the say.
Shadows inhabit my brain now at times
shifting from fog to a cold, icy rime.
When it is clear, we are back, you and me;
winning the game for the whole world to see.
This challenge definitely had me lamenting my thinking cap of yesteryear! Trying to portray lament, praise, and solace in dactyl was a nice stretch of the brain.
06 Friday Feb 2015
Posted in Family, Inspiration, Life, Love
I never envisioned
a sunset without oranges and reds and yellows.
I never thought blurry vision could be
anything but a view through streaming tears.
And I never dreamed I might not see your smile again
or see the love in your eyes as you look into mine.
However, as we oftentimes do,
I had taken something precious for granted.
I lost sight of things for just a little while,
though I’m sure it was a gift in disguise, for
I learned to cherish my eyesight, each and every day.
04 Wednesday Feb 2015
Like a sinkhole,
they are swallowed up,
patient upon patient,
settled in sterile rooms,
waiting their turn for
the healer’s words and script.
I watch as people continue entering the portal,
yet those who return are strangers,
definitely not the same as those I saw enter.
Will the inner depths swallow me alike?
Will I return a stranger myself,
passing familiar yet unfamiliar people
as they scan my face?
21 Friday Nov 2014
26 Sunday Oct 2014
Posted in Family, Health, Inspiration, Life, Love, Nature, Philosophy
Tags
Autumn, family, health, inspiration, life, love, Nature, philosophy, seasons
I love the season of autumn
where the colors softly change
from greens to autumn hues.
Blessed with warmer days,
refreshed by cooler nights,
these changes are inevitable,
and they’ll happen to me and you
as we softly enter our autumn,
the last season of our life,
may we see golden treasures
both old and new alike.
12 Saturday Jul 2014
14 Saturday Jun 2014
Posted in Health
Tags
compromise, Fibro, fibromyalgia, health, poems, Poetry, set limits, struggles
Fibromyalgia sits on one side,
I straddle the opposite;
We see saw, frequently off balance
as we fight for control.
Today, I teeter on the edge,
struggling to endure her force.
Winning seems impossible;
Can I counterbalance? I’ll try.
Citing benefits for more than just me,
I propose to lighten my load, set some limits.
She likes I’m not selfish, so concedes,
relaxing her stance to midway.
01 Tuesday Apr 2014
Posted in Family, Health, Inspiration, Life, Love
Ah, but to enjoy the simple things again
Where grief does not interfere,
Where memories are once again pleasurable,
Where a smile comes with happiness, not obligation.
When will the pain and suffering end?
To what lengths must we go to assuage these feelings?
How long must one endure the roller coaster,
The ups and downs of emotions?
When will one step in front of the other actually
Take one forward instead of treading water?
Grief has no true beginning nor end,
Nor does it follow the same path for everyone.
The road to recovery will have potholes and bumps
Along with curves and forks to traverse.
But be assured, the grief will begin to hurt less
As you travel this journey to a new destination
Where you can find joy and a renewed self.
08 Saturday Mar 2014
Posted in Health, Inspiration, Life
Tags
chronic illness, Fibro, fibromyalgia, health, inspiration, life, poems, Poetry
I tried to ignore it; I said
it couldn’t happen to me;
surely there’s some mistake,
I’m as healthy as can be.
I’m merely getting older,
my muscles just need worked,
and creaking joints are natural
when you’re ’bout as old as me.
But, symptoms started stacking,
and just like children’s blocks,
when too many are unsteady,
reality comes crashing down.
For me, it’s Fibromyalgia,
maybe yours has a different name;
but our life altering prognoses
bring changes just the same.
Sometimes I’m the energy bunny,
you’d never know I’m sick,
but the next day I’m a turtle,
paced slowly or retreatingly.
I never will be returning to
what people knew as me,
but with positive affirmation,
I’m creating a better me.
25 Tuesday Feb 2014
ICU, CCU, and surgical wards
perform magic behind closed doors
while family and friends engage,
helping their anxiety assuage:
Some tap their feet
to an inner beat;
Some pace back and forth,
as if waiting a birth;
Others leave for a burn,
smelling of cigarettes upon return.
Some close their eyes
Hiding tears and cries;
While some in the middling,
with magazines they’re fiddling;
In the corner there’s chatter,
topics don’t matter;
Just passing the time
is the need most prime.
Individually diverse,
fundamentally the same
each is immersed
in the waiting game.
22 Saturday Feb 2014
Posted in Health
Tags
Traveling through life with a chronic illness brings challenges unknown to the chronically healthy. Those born with conditions accepted their limitations long before the newly chronically ill. I have yet to find my equilibrium, but I vow to continue to try.
I travel daily with Fibromyalgia,
My symptoms bag not always full,
But when I exceed my mileage,
Overloaded bags tip the scale.
I’m rescheduling my life’s journey
To include the trails I like best,
And when faced with a difficult path,
I’ll slow, take a day at a time.
Choices are not easy to make,
Disappointment occasionally comes,
But I’d rather be traveling light
Than heavy-laden, unable to go.
30 Thursday Jan 2014
Posted in Health, Life, Mountains, Philosophy
Tags
health, life, mountains, Peace, philosophy, poems, Poetry, spirit, Tranquility, yoga
I stand strong,
a modern-day warrior
posed for peace,
for the spirit dwells within me.
27 Monday Jan 2014
Tags
energy, happiness, health, perspectiveness, philosophy, poems, Poetry, sun
Chronic pain is written for me;
morning stiffness, evening pangs,
uncooperative muscles.
The storyline is scripted by
doctors and researchers.
How the story plays out, however,
is my privilege as the lead actor
to put my personal spin on the lines.
I rise like the sun, slowly from
the horizon yet bright and welcoming.
Staging my day with work and fun, I
bask in sunshine and warmth.
And like the sun, I succumb to
darkness and fade into the horizon,
re-energizing for another day.
21 Tuesday Jan 2014
Posted in Animals and Insects, Health, Life, Nature
I feel as if I’m a newborn calf
trying to stand for the first time,
ankles shaking, knees wobbling,
thighs tingling with anticipation
of a successful rise to upright.
It’s how I start my day,
focusing on the initial rise,
leaning and swaying as I
walk toward the kitchen
for that first sip of milk.
20 Monday Jan 2014
The black dot frequently moves to
a gentle rhythm, its pacing barely noticeable;
at other times, it stirs up specks visible
only peripherally. In fact,
just yesterday I wiped the same spot
off the window a half dozen times,
yet with each sideways glance,
it magically reappeared.
I’ve batted at the fly it mocked;
I’ve followed its circular spins;
I’ve tried to get it to stop
by rubbing at shadowy blurs.
But for now I’d just like it to join me
in settling down for the night;
So I turn off the lights in the room,
softly close my eyes, and wish my
faithful companion a quiet, peaceful night.
27 Wednesday Nov 2013
Neither young nor old
I fit right in;
I can play Angry Birds
or Rummy or Gin.
I’ve got fair health,
that is, for my age,
and cherish each and
every new stage.
I have love of friends
and family;
we laugh and live
with sincerity.
As I think about
all I’ve been granted,
I realize I’ve had
a life enchanted.
That’s why during this
Thanksgiving nigh,
I give thanks to those
who enrich my life.
Happy Thanksgiving Day!
26 Tuesday Nov 2013
Tags
beat, chronic pain, Fibro, fibromyalgia, headache, health, music, poems, Poetry
An unknown tune
beats within the
Fibro body. Conductors
Set the Beat
as cymbals crash
repeatedly against an
exploding headache.
And The Beat Goes On
with timpani mallets
pounding fervently at
already sore muscles.
And The Beat Goes On
with drumrolls drilling
faster and faster…
till exhaustion hits.
And The Beat Goes On,
each day, a new rendition
of an old song, unique yet
recognizable just the same.
We live each day to the
tune we’re given, changing
the measures we can,
pausing for those we can’t,
and dancing with those we can…
And the Beat Goes On!
19 Tuesday Nov 2013
Tags
acceptance, chronic illness, fibromyalgia, health, life, pain, Peace, poem, Poetry
*
I should have known
it would catch up to me,
all the things I did
without a pause,
enjoying movement
without any pain,
smiling and humming
as I did the chores,
then enjoying some time
in the great outdoors.
It was so good to
feel normal again,
to wake with the birds,
ready for day’s begin.
But,
I should have known…
Fibromyalgia
never leaves;
it hibernates, as
in a deep freeze,
then awakens
like an angry bear,
disturbed by forces
outside its lair.
So for today, I’ll
declare a truce,
embrace the peace
without excuse.
Maybe next time….
Well, probably not.
Just suffice it to say,
we’re friends,
of a special kind,
to the very end.
11/19/13
Phyllis Moorman
*photo courtesy http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
Phyllis Moorman 