Ealry Morning Poem

by Linda

Sunday, October 21, 2007

11:04 AM

Aware that I am awakening

seeing dappled sunlight

cross the ceiling.

And dreamily open the other eye,

only to see my Pug Jester's

literally eye to eye with me.

He had been sleeping

like a baby on my pillow

Snoring and chortling

Right next to me.

The unspoken question

That he sends to me,

"Is it time to get

up Mom?

I look at him

And sleepily think

let me see.

Fibromyalgia

and constant pain,

chronic fatigue;

all of them fighting

forever within me.

Go back to sleep

or get up to take pain meds?

I need to see how much

pain my body suffers right now.

Are pain pills

needed right now?

Or can I turn over and

slip back

Into peaceful sleep.

Half asleep

I check to find

out what woke Me ?

There the left

hip and knee.

Both are pulsing,

sending sharp

pain packets

to my mind.

Signals of distress

have awoken me.

Humming it's

mantra turn over

there is a problem

with the way you lay."

So slowly awoken

doing the nightly check.

Which occurs every

time I have to roll over

at least 25 times a night.

There are times

not many

when

just rolling over

will not be enough

To ease the pain

I am suffering right now.

So slowly and carefully

I use my arms to lift

and twist my torso

to the right and use

one hand to drag the

limb in pain over the other

I have finally turned over.

Jester has followed

and by now settled in.

Patiently waiting for the answer

I have not given him.

So softly I say to him

"Not yet, let's go back

to sleep.".

As he dozes off,

And chronic fatigues wins.

I just have time to think

Stay off the Left side

and I can be pain free

for just a little while.