MRIs, Music, and Me

In keeping with my plan, here is my next poem.

Be warned, it is horrible.

The time has come for my next MRI.

The Shepherd Center is my objective,
And I arrive with hopes reaching the sky.
No new lesions! Rituxan’s effective!

I must keep still for an hour, or more
While the machine examines my brain.
The droning lures me to sleep, and I snore,
Listening to the numbing beats galore.

Soon it will be the time for my next scan.
To sit for an hour in the device
And then discuss with my doctor the plan
Of how to treat MS, with his advice.

So, then in six months time I will return
For my next scan to see what I can learn.

I'll Drink To That

Bottoms Up
or
Down the Hatch
or 
Or hundreds of other ways to say, "Lets drink!"

To sit calmly and enjoy a good draft
Of beer sitting at home or at the bar,
While I savor the brew-master's craft. 
I think of the beers in my repertoire

Thanks to this MesS I more easily feel
Alcohol’s buzz as it enters my brain.
This allows me to handle the ordeal
By helping me see the fun through the pain.

Alcohol might be proof that God loves us.
The flavors and potency also show
Alcohol as a gift most generous,
And happily I let spirits flow.


There’s a hidden benefit in this MesS:
To feel a good buzz will cost me much less.

Respite, Holiday, Recreation, Intermission, Sabbatical

Take A Break

Vacations now require extensive

Plans. So that the dependability

Of my wheelchair will grant comprehensive

Preservation of my mobility

Now the time has come for a camping trip,

Always taken in the late Fall season.

Summer’s unbearable heat, I must skip.

Dodging Spring’s rain is the other reason.

I now can enjoy camping in a tent,

But there are still some dangers to avoid.

I don’t want my energy to be spent

On trifles and my endurance destroyed.

Yet, in spite of the work that is needed,

I enjoy vacations unimpeded.

Summer's Hell Begins With:

😱💀Sonnets💀😱

     I know that I should have employed this genre in April. But, there are two very different and compelling reasons as to why I did not. First, as Eliot said, "April is the cruelest month." For me, April's constantly altering temperatures and humidity increase the severity of my symptoms with this MesS. Secondly, and much more importantly, the realization of this did not hit me until the middle of April, and, as I had already started my month of Haiku, I could not bring myself to change my path. Therefore, what follows is my first attempt at a month of English/Shakespearean sonnets.

Summer

As the days grow warmer, symptoms increase

In their frequency and severity.

I remain in my house, seeking surcease,

Guarding my cool air with ferocity.

Summer nights can be slightly bearable,

Providing shade from the malicious sun,

But humidity remains terrible,

Summer’s seasonal hell has now begun.

Air conditioning will also relieve

And abate the constantly climbing heat.

With cooler air granting me a reprieve.

I will not be subdued, face defeat!

Yet, despite the heat, I will abide

To watch my children as they play outside.

-Josh Evitt 2019

Are you in the mood?

Swing Away!

Moods are funny things.

They can change so suddenly

And with no warning.

Not being haughty,

I just tend to be cautious,

Keeping my distance.

MS can cause my

Reactions to you to change:
The wrong emotions.

A day might start well,

But medication can help

Keep stability.

People often say,

"Misery loves company."

For me: solitude. 

Rub A Dub Dub, Never Getting In The Tub

Taking A Seat
(in the shower)

Taking no more baths-

Water must never be hot-

Using shower chairs.

Scrubbing with one hand

Used for balance when eyes close:

Proprioception

Simplicity helps:

Soap, shampoo, conditioner,

All in one bottle.

It's my greatest fear:

If I should fall while bathing-

Naked and need help.

At the shower's end

Taking longer to exit

Than the shower took.

Baby Steps On A Downhill Slide

Walking On NOTHING

Small children will learn,

After falling so many times,

The joy of walking.

Some need help to walk;

A sturdy cane can suffice

A return to feet.

Soon, steps will falter;

The cane is now obsolete.

The walker arrives.

The walker needs help.

A scooter for the outside;

The walker stays home.

The wheelchair arrives.

And it will replace them both

With mobility.

Seasons Change, MS Changes, Symptoms Change

April Can Be So Cruel

Memory Haiku

     Rather than just one poem for this rather diminutive style, I am attempting a weekly collection of haiku focused on a single aspect of how I deal with this MesS.

MS’ memories
Numbers, names, and directions
Fading and failing

Seeing an old friend
I have known for many years
Who are you, again?

Important events
And the times when they begin
I don’t remember

Dead leaves in the wind,
Floating away aimlessly
Like my memory

A funny story,
The beauty of a moment
Are gone forever.

Memories will fade.
But I will not lose this fight!
My cell phone helps me.

An End of the Mockery

Canto IV: Final Thoughts

Soon the infusion will come to an end,

And there are signs that Rituxan can mend

The ravages of MS upon his

Mind and body. For the result now is:

5 No new lesions and no growth on older.

Ones, allowing him to be much bolder.

Also, his mobility has improved,

Despite needing a wheelchair to be moved.

His arms, required to take up the slack

10 Left by his legs, get some of his life back

To the days that he foldy remembers:

Social life with friends and family members.

Now, as the infusion comes to an end,

He prepares for the time that he must spend

15 In Atlanta’s evening rush hour,

Riding on the waning steroids’ power.

He will be able to enjoy the ride,

Keeping ahead of the oncoming tide

That he can see rising behind the van,

20 And the evening rush has just began

To clog the streets and highways behind him

Creating a scene so dark and so grim,

He is happy to have avoided it.

.So he returns home to rest for a bit.

25 Anticipating his next infusion,

He will not submit to the illusion

Of an end to this infernal disease.

But, rituxan now helps him rest at ease.