Does my illness define me?

Does my illness define me? A Poem by debileah (for a contest)

Sometimes I wonder, does my illness define me?

As I suffer with manic depression.

Can I find hope in my despair?

On this bipolar rollercoaster ride!

What if there were such a thing as a cure?

Would I still see things the same way?

What about my mood swings?

My ups and my downs?

Would I smile or wear a frown?

Would I miss my illusions of grandeur?

What if my thoughts slowed down and did not race?

Would I still be a poet in this place?

Sometimes I wonder, does my illness define me?

Or does it bind me?

Does it hold me back from achieving my life goals?

Does it take away from my soul?

What about my extraordinary creativity.

Would I lose my dignity?

If they found a cure.

For now bipolar episodes I must endure.

It's a part of me, of who I am and always shall be.

So it seems my manic depression does in deed define me.