For the Missing

by | May 21, 2020 | Home, ME/CFS, Patient Voice

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Canada Johansen

I went missing years ago

Some don’t even know

That I spend most days away, inside

And then my illness doesn’t show

I can’t show all the pain I feel

Or fogginess or dread

No one sees my energy gone

Or the tears I often shed

It’s not that I’m just tired

Or need to exercise

It’s because my battery

Is defective or maybe it’s the wrong size

Others see a broken bone

And say it’s fine to stay in bed

But my injuries are ones that you can’t see

So, they think it’s in my head

I lost the life I used to have

I was happy, full of light

I could play or run or dance

But now all I can do is fight

Fight for others just like me

who are grieving, who are lost

those who used to do so much more

without the unfair cost

We all sit at watch the world

Move on and leave us behind

We feel as though we do not exist

Or that others are just blind

That’s why we are speaking out

About the life we share

So please see us as we are

We know it isn’t fair

But we also know we are still here

Even if it’s not the life we wish

So, listen close because I have

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

 

This poem was shared at the #MillionsMissing Support and Awareness Virtual Event on May 12th 2020.