Blank Verse
Why would starting August with blank verse will be tough?
- Lack of rhyme requires much more emphasis on meter. This not free verse.
- It will rely heavily on imagery that is used properly.
- It can easily turn into simple narrative jargon.
*NOTE* For the rest of the month I decided just to make one long poem. Here's the result.*
MS transformed so much of what I am,
Regressing my life like an inverted
Caterpillar, seeking to hide once more
Within a safe cocoon, sheltered from life
With this rancid disease seeking solace,
Dodging interaction with all others,
Happy to waste away in solitude.
Things that once were easy have now become
Difficult at best, impossible at
Worst. Many things that I loved to do are
Gone, never to return, while others will
Never appear. Despite MS there have
Also been some benefits from the MesS.
From the Shepherd Center, to my facebook
Friends who struggle with this vile disease: MS.
I have received help from many people,
Joining me as I fight MS’ symptoms,
And I have so much to be thankful for:
From my dear family to all my friends.
They have stayed with me through the highs and lows.
Do I want my life to improve? Of course!
But there are things that will only degrade.
A pebble rolls down the side of a hill
With others it becomes an avalanche.
As symptoms rise and fall, I must remain
Determined to live my life with MS.
Changes are made to how I do most things,
From dressing to eating, bathing and more
I have learned that I can’t ignore MS.
Living my life with this disease I choose
Acceptance of this life, never hiding.
Each day with this disease is a struggle.
Often I face the fact that I will lose.
Crippled, broken, and weak, I hide away
From the world around me seeking solace
From my life with MS and its symptoms.
This misery does NOT love company.
Like a hermit, I choose to keep silent
As the stress of multiple sclerosis
Festers within my heart, wreaking havoc
On my moods, on my thoughts, sinking deeper
Into the crore of my very being.
Symptoms rise and abilities will fall
MS changes without warning, dragging
Me through the memories of what MS
Has taken from me, leaving me empty,
Like an empty balloon, going nowhere.
Walking, running, swimming, and soon driving
Are all things that are now mere memories.
My dream career: teaching in a classroom,
Sharing my love of words with my students,
Are now memories which I am losing.
But I have found some ways through which I can
Regain a small semblance of what I’ve lost.
Boring poems help me release some angst,
And research projects can give me a voice.
Surveys, meetings, discussion boards and more
Provide me with a chance to share and learn.
Often I face the fact that I will lose.
Crippled, broken, and weak, I hide away
From the world around me seeking solace
From my life with MS and its symptoms.
This misery does NOT love company.
Like a hermit, I choose to keep silent
As the stress of multiple sclerosis
Festers within my heart, wreaking havoc
On my moods, on my thoughts, sinking deeper
Into the crore of my very being.
Symptoms rise and abilities will fall
MS changes without warning, dragging
Me through the memories of what MS
Has taken from me, leaving me empty,
Like an empty balloon, going nowhere.
Walking, running, swimming, and soon driving
Are all things that are now mere memories.
My dream career: teaching in a classroom,
Sharing my love of words with my students,
Are now memories which I am losing.
But I have found some ways through which I can
Regain a small semblance of what I’ve lost.
Boring poems help me release some angst,
And research projects can give me a voice.
Surveys, meetings, discussion boards and more
Provide me with a chance to share and learn.
-Josh Evitt, 2019-
