Everything is absolutely rotten
Pain-free life in something long-forgotten
Our kid is sick; she screams in the night
My muscles could not be more tight
Stress messages gush from body to brain
A little blurry with the pain
Chronic illness can be rough
No choice we have but to be tough
I dread the next disaster
Don’t know where it will be from
Don’t know when it is arriving
But I know that it will come
Meds and meditation
Keep the panicked thoughts at bay
But no amount of preparation
Can keep all bad things away
These days I sleep with shoulders up
And my jaws clenched tight
As though I could ward off trouble
Grinding teeth throughout the night
My molars are protected
By a little plastic guard
But there’s no mouthguard for my brain –
The empath life is hard
Emily Adkins Bostian 