Writing poetry can provide a creative and therapeutic outlet for people living with chronic migraine. Sarah Alexander-Georgeson shares two poems about the short-term and long-term effects of this illness.
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Writing has always been my solace, and writing poetry has been a passion of mine since I was a child. It has helped me express myself in ways I haven't been able to communicate verbally.
It's a more creative outlet to share how I'm feeling than screaming into a void or crying into a pillow. And it’s an alternative when I feel like I'm wittering on to friends and family about migraine pain (despite them telling me that I rarely talk about it). Poetry allows me to escape into words.
Warning
Molten lava behind my eyes,
slowly burning my body.
I'm paralysed
numb,
can't move.
Will my brain explode?
The throbbing in my skull is dull,
powerful.
You can feel the vibrations,
right?
It's a major on the Richter scale,
how am I the only one experiencing
this intensity?
It's moving mountains,
breaking bones.
This head of mine,
made of stone
I can't hold it up,
it's concrete,
should come with a warning sign.
'Danger. Caution'
thunder, lightning,
a tornado of agony and exhaustion.
Never-ending,
endless darkness.
I'll turn to ashes.
Another Day
Another day lying in bed,
lights out, curtains closed
a demon clawing in my head.
At the back of my eye
at the nape of my neck.
Can't sit up,
my body’s a wreck.
**
I couldn't move if I tried
hemiplegic, numb,
feeling broken on one side.
Unable to concentrate,
I can't even speak,
I've never felt so weak.
**
It takes an ice pick to my brain
chipping away
my skull shattered from the pain.
I feel sick,
I feel dazed,
it takes away so many days.
**
I live with various types of migraine. I refer specifically to hemiplegic migraine in “Another Day.” Still, besides a few lines in that poem, I feel like both pieces could relate to any type of migraine I get.
NPS-IE-NP-00737 May 2023