Wake up in quicksand, an alien bully hatching in my head

I feel its claws hooking into me, feel fiery breath behind my eyes

My ears are no longer a sense, they are amplifyers of pain

Stomach turns and twists, all food makes me sick

My environment a jungle of possible triggers, sensory deprivation sanctuary

I hit the ground running clumsily, stumbling in the fog of Migraine.

I stumble reaching out for medication, fumble as I open the bottle

A few pills scatter: they're cockroaches fleeing a moaning giant

Pound.. Pound... Pound.. thump kathump lump

Heart's rhythmic lullaby turned into Death Metal war drums

Loud cymbals crash as I sneeze, I clutch my noggin

I can't forever silence you, I love life like I love not having a migraine!

Nausea on the high seas, I eat handfuls of ginger

Throwing up would make it worse - I'd cry

Crying would make me scream

Screaming would scare my family

My family is my world

My world is this migraine today.. all comes back to Mr. Migraine!

Sometimes It lasts a week, two weeks, three or more

My head becomes a prison, riots constant

Grating, blasting, scratching, punching, burning, cracking

I want to writhe and lash out against this ominous foe

It has no body, no face, no forwarding address

We call it "Migraine", inadequate for such an erosion of peace.

We suffer together, split screen to all of us crouched in the dark

Knee to chin, sweating burning bullets and begging for freedom

We wage an unseen war, to which this is only a battle

Shades drawn against the royal sun, dark bulky sunglasses

I see you all doing the same in my mind, a choir of sighs

Trembling, panting, grinding teeth, itching to slip this skin.

Sometimes I can't ask for silence from my loved ones, guilt prevents

Voices as rampant tornadoes in furrows of my brain, obliterating

CFL bulbs a fad, irritating my brain to more of these bouts

Technology a Catherine Wheel spun by a sadistic scientist

I become a cruel hermit, seeking solace in solitude and silence

My loved ones crushed by my metamorphosis into pain's slave.

Days go by, they whirl past me, a cartoon calendar flipping

I smell of headache stick and menthol rub, of frustration

Fellow sufferers go through the motions, groggy muttering zombies

Letters fidget wildly on the page, entertainment sparse

Used to the pain now, used to the symptoms, used to our duty

We cling to the rituals that might ease us, "meds" in a row.

It starts to get better.. it starts to lessen.. it starts to let up

My head is lighter, clearer, I can think without effort

My stomach unties all of its knots, ears once again sane

Energetic storm clouds disappear slowly over the horizon

I breathe a sigh, as the dry Earth groans as it's massaged by rain

I close my eyes and thank everything and everyone!

Humans walk on two brave feet, migraine seems a career