pain is not a metaphor for anything

get it all out, he said -- for Chris, I can hear you chuckling already.

a prescription for apathy

doctor, hand me
a prescription
for your apathy
to my pain.
you hear my words
but you don't
live in my brain.

horse pills with my cheerios

pain killers
are perhaps
not so aptly
named
unless
the user
is the
intended
victim
of the
pill.

not a hero

I am not a hero
for working
through the pain.
I am just a mother
who wants to
play with her kids
again.

"loss of consortium" doesn't sound like it needs a mature label.

Author's Note

why not pick a cheesy pop song

Reviews

[Érenn]

Hey I must say love the presentation here ^^ Goes without saying you are talking about how with age both the physical and the mental pain just increases and showing no signs of stopping ( i think) Also I have to say there is this disclaimer like feel to the poem. You know the one's like "All the scenes/ actions presented in this film...... blah blah" But then that gives it a hint of humor even though this write is really about your frustrations with the increasing meds and well I guess I have never really liked doctors so you know I definitely understand you hate for them, they just pile on medicines rather than decreasing it. Also I am sorry to hear of you are unable to spend time with your kids and playing and enjoying with them, hope you can do it soon (if not already) It's really nice how you write about your own situations like this ^^

[Lyn Anderson]

Well thank you. Pretty much sums it up, and yes, the disclaimer feel is entirely intentional. I am injured from a car accident -- so hopefully it will heal -- just taking longer than I thought.

[h d e rushin]

the definition of pain has changed over the years. When my friend left her phone in my cousins car
overnight, she was in obvious pain. The young Asian boy hung himself over a broken relationship.
the 14 year old transgendered boy in Ohio ran in front of a semi truck because he was bullied
in school. And then I get a cold sore right before my blind date on Saturday night. All examples of good and honest pains. "You don't live in
my brain" are the most heartbreaking words ever uttered yet It is the statement that governs
all of art and the need and the desire to create it.

I felt this one KL......felt it deeply....dana

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you very much for your thoughtful review dana. I truly cherish your words and your visits.

[JC]

Not to be excited about your struggle and pain, but I am excited to read something so real. I feel your pain, your anger in your observations, that sunk in a hole of meds and robot doctors, of the pain physically and mentally as we start ticking the days off...damn mortality...damn becoming aware and realizing...this is real writing and real life.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you thank you. I had to spell it out for people who kept looking for the hidden meanings. :)read moreThank you thank you. I had to spell it out for people who kept looking for the hidden meanings. :)

[barleygirl]

I feel you . . . your intensity has fueled this prickly piece with plenty of blunt observations well stated. I hope you can get back to playing with your kids very soon (if not already!) (((HUGS)))

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks. I really was that crazy mom who went tree top trekking. Now, grocery shopping is a chore. I will get back to ME, but it seems distant when you have to ask your 9 year old to open your juice. It's a hard adjustment for all of us, but it should be somewhat temporary.

[barleygirl]

I see "tree top trekking" & then the picture of Shakespeare beside your words . . . I can't help but wonder if you were feeling a bit like a wonder kitty for a minute there! *tee! hee!*

[Einstein Noodle]

full of sarcastic bite ... pain is a many splendored thing for poets, musicians and artists .. very clever play on the pills says i! "I'll take three bottles full please .. I have much to inflict today" rather grim .. stark and too real .. last verse in contrast is such a heart felt simple thing to ask ... brings out the empathy in me ...really like your closing line ..gives me a bit of a smile to go on ...no consortium ...no labels nor approvals with the big exception of "I am" :) ..I always am delighted when you use this form ..and obviously your poem got me goin' !
E.
ps ... not to forget about very real and physical pain of course .. and as a retired RN ..we push it (pills not pain) ... if you say you hurt ...you hurt damn it!! ;) hope you have a particularly pain free day today KL!

[Lyn Anderson]

Yes, thank you. I needed to vent, as I am discouraged and need an outlet. Loss of consortium, when applied in a legal lawsuit, needs a mature label, but I thought it would be ok to leave it without one here.

[Einstein Noodle]

its a great word! (had to look it up to make sure i knew what it meant) love to you KL! :)

[Jon Roggie]

I know this feeling. Fractured a knee, and I got a full leg cast, and some ibuprofen.
I hate to say the old line, but you have to adapt.

Now,
if they could make strong enough painkillers which would still leave normal sensibilities.

Take it slow my friend.

[Lyn Anderson]

This is true. I try not to take too much during the day. Muddles the brain and all. And the deep bruising all over my body reminds me just how some of these things thin the blood ... it's more of just an outlet, writing about the accident and its after effects, makes it more tolerable.

[highonwords]

when others can't seem to understand the magnitude of one's pain - that adds to more pain and exasperation - you miss a lot of things, that you used to love doing - pain is such a tragic nuisance that gets in the way of living

steph

[Lyn Anderson]

yes it certainly does. it is a bit of a beast. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

[highonwords]

you're welcome, my dear :)

steph

[jacob erin-cilberto]

these are fantastic...sardonic humor, and such reality..."your apathy to my pain, you don't live in my brain"

Priceless...the only one who really understands the pain is the one going through it.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks. I never knew what loss of consortium was until my accident. Such legal jargon sucks the life out of everything.

[Chris]

Chuckling here... wait till you can't take Aleve - because you are too old. Think of it - an over-the-counter-pain-reliever with an age limit for adults.

As to the original statement I made with you - too many thought the hurts you've been describing was relational or emotional NOT physical; the aftermath of a car accident. How many times have EACH OF US went to a doctor and described PAIN and where... and been ignored out of hand because the doc knows better; by the third or fourth visit you would think that just maybe the docs might listen - after all their initial course of diagnosis hasn't done anything and lord alone knows what else might have been missed.

anyways ...this was a gentle "rub" and I hope you feel a lil better - sooner rather than later.

[Lyn Anderson]

Wow. I didn't know that about Aleve. It hasn't worked for me. I have primarily been taking Tylenol with codeine and celebrex -- found out I wasn't supposed to down to many ibuprophen in a day -- ranitidine for nausea -- and the realization that depression after an accident is a real, physical thing, caused by head trauma, and not at all like my usual anxietal based depression. It's exhausting, from the explanations, to lawyers, to insurance, to friends who think you are an a*s for suing someone when they caused the accident -- to friends who can't be bothered because you are the one who always props them up -- to family members who can't get used to you being the one who needs to lean on them. yep, it's all that and more -- lots of chuckles every day.:)

[Lyn Anderson]

too many. damn I hate my own stupid grammar errors.

[Chris]

yeah ...neat huh?

[Lyn Anderson]

Right up there with wrinkles and bursitis.:)

[Bacchus]

I am just a mother
who wants to
play with her kids
again.

Yes. I need to write about when I hit that place too.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you for popping in. I appreciate the visit and the review.