"Devotion"

He wakes me.

In the early morning dawn,

Dew on the grass,

Heavy from the night,

And in the silence,

He is still here.

The Beast

Holds me in His stifling,

Tight embrace.

From the base of my head

To the center of my brain

He crawls.

He roars

And I stifle the moaned reply,

Grabbing my head

As my body writhes in its

Horizontal dance

Of Pain

My mind

Goes to Peaceful places

Where dewdrops slide

Down long green blades

And white daisy petals,

As the sun begins its rise.

My soul

Funnels from my body.

Through my head it rises

To the rose colored clouds.

Warm from the sun's breath,

They envelope me.

I'm flying

Through clouds that gently

Hold me, loving me, caressing me.

The sun's dulled light

Kisses my face and

Stifles the Beast.

My eyes

Open to the face of

My Everything.

His tears mingle with mine

On skin

Dampened from my fight.

His face

Tells me He loves me.

As I reach to him

I am pulled back, screaming,

To my never ending battle

With the Beast.

~E. Schnakenberg

I am a migraineur of nearly 30 yrs. I also have autoimmune thyroid disease, osteoporosis and dystonia, all the result of inheritance. "Devotion" reflects more than the persistence of Intractable Migraine, but explores the constant fight of the Migraineur and the unfaltering love of a husband. For me, all three are ever-present.  I am not a poet, nor do I understand the construction of poetry, but I do believe that when writing (or reading) what is in the soul, simple thoughts create Colors and simple words create Music that comes alive, no matter their order. There is music and color in even the dark words that, when experienced, allow us to let loose of things buried, and realize things longed for.

Please see my other entries:

"Someday" http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/4002/13656/someday/

"Betrayed" http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/4002/13636/betrayed/