If I knew where my poems came from, I'd go there more often.

Loneliness the only companion
Sad and sorrowful as it is
I’d be more lonely without it
Undersea with no fish
With a shimmer from above
Reminding me I’m alone

#vss365 #undersea

Hate when I can’t think of what to say. It’s not an empty container. It’s the container of chaos and I can’t hold a thought before it gets knocked out my hands.

same

familiar objects in a new home
an unfolding story
with new possibilities and endings

the ache remains true

bandaged parts remain fractured
with blessings from the stereo
a nudge to set down the sword
open yourself to the moment
fighting yourself is never heroic

i’m a loop at the county fair
you could
but i wouldn‘t trust it

#loop #vss365

wish i had more to say
some shadows never move
some weight never lifts
but i’ll watch the memories
i haven’t forgotten a single one

I heard the term traumatic intelligence and when I looked it up it was a reframe of hyper-vigilance, but I like the term traumatic intelligence.

bending shapes into letters
for a key
even though i buried the lock
lost to the sea
having to pretend i’m finding me
but i’d rather leave him alone

#letters #vss365

The Expanded Life is a guided workbook for anyone navigating chronic illness who is trying to figure out how to actually live within the life they have now.

Fantastic work

I forgot to use the word!

tears baptized the succulent heart
capable of beating with no mercy
grace was hours late
and I was out of expectations

#water #vss365

Illness turned me into a frozen river
No longer pushing people along
No longer shaping shorelines
As I stare at my potential
One I cannot access
Just a reminder of the loss

light through the blinds
proof of life
proof of having to get up
despite my will and judgement
got ready for the day
mental exhaustion at every step
the blinds nudge me awake again

is purgatory in the dsm

#vss365 #blind

Find your story again after chronic illness. Reassembling the dream of life.

banking epiphanies off the cortex
while staring at the ceiling
as if it was my guardian angel

not seeing the sky is fitting
with drywall and paint as my savior
it will be better after the walk
the one that never comes

#bank #vss365

Meaning in the Middle of Suffering Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, and Living With Chronic Illness Podcast Episode · To The Bone: Conversations on Pain, Illness, and Meaning · March 25 · 17m

Victor Frankl and Man’s Search For Meaning with Chronic Illness.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Paraphrased quote I recently came across, “Chase everything in life except for love and death, they’ll fine you when you’re ready.”

The sparkle in your eye is me burning.

My falls and fails have created beautiful existential origami.

Big Magic and the Courage to Create a Life With Chronic Illness Podcast Episode · To The Bone: Conversations on Pain, Illness, and Meaning · March 15 · 19m

New episode, bringing magic and creativity to chronic illness. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

rain falls in one direction
spitting at the clouds
one of many fruitless endeavors

take the soak
chilled to the bone
there's still a destination
discomfort prods you forward

Write poetry. You can't reread tears.