Am I Still the Same?

Am I still the same? (High Octain)

Am I still the same as before?
Brightness turned down, colours muted.
Muscles tire, their strength diluted,

nerve functions not fast anymore.
Some days drifting, the world shifting,
concentration truly a chore.

My fatigue now undisputed –
my spirit the same as before.

Am I still the same as before?
Perhaps, but I refuse to dread
that most uncertain road ahead.

I take new challenges, explore –
I am learning to drive the thing,
heeding fatigue and resting more.

Though my life is now re-routed,
my spirit the same as before

Highly Commended, Elmbridge Literary competition 2011

The High Octain is a form invented by Luke Prater. This poem was written in response to my diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis, and my view on how it affected me.

25 comments

  1. Billie

    Fantastic poem… sadly so true and so painful. It’s great if you can put it all in a poem!

  2. Your spirit is stronger than ever.

  3. HI Sue, another wonderful poem, great rhythm, internal and end rhyme. You tell a great story. One of my relatives has Multiple Sclerosis. I talk to her often about her symptoms. Your words express very eloquently the feelings she has related to me. ~ Dennis

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  5. Kan

    Beautiful poem, Sue.

  6. Bill Allsopp Photography

    Thank you for your emailed comments Sue. This is wonderful, albeit also a painful poem. I shall follow your blog and hope your spirit helps you cope with the disease.

  7. You have a powerful spirit Sue.

  8. Ellen Whittle

    Hidden talents. Not only a wonderful photographer but a gifted poet.

  9. Ellen Whittle

    You are truly amazing. Not only how you deal with your condition but how you manage to write such a moving and wonderful poem . Loved it.

    • Sue

      Ah, thank you, Ellen! Written while my muse was in evidence – dormant now for a year or two…. I live in hope that I might write again one day

  10. What a wonderful poem, I like them all but especially this one.

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