MS Means

by Jane Drebus
(Evansville, Indiana)

MS could mean "mighty splendid"
It could mean "more sensation"
Or maybe "mostly sore"
But it doesn't
It means being bone tired
It means being lonely and afraid
MS means no reliability, no guarantees
MS is mine to tackle and fight
It's within me every day.
Sometimes it hurts; oh, God, it hurts
It changes everything

One day I couldn't spell it
The next day I had it
It's hard to pronounce
The next day we were intimate

What a pernicious invader.
MS takes over your life.


by Jane Drebus
Copyright 2009