I have a chronic illness
It makes me ruminate, obsess
Over its existence constantly
The shadow I don’t want to see
Like a companion cantankerous
Interrupting, creating a fuss
Admonishing me to take care of it
Reminding me of things that can’t fit
My life and my chronic illness
Warning me to manage stress
Given to me, quite ironically
By the illness that rules over me..
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Sometimes I think the illness could be
A suffix added to my name, I cannot see
Myself without the addition
Of my unfortunate condition
For many years I have tried in every way
To tame this beast, yet to this day
The beast of my illness rules over me
I just tolerate its unpredictability
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The world tends to tie productivity
To physical fitness, thus someone like me
Could be considered a worker subpar
That is what would hurt me the most, by far
So I try to give my 110 percent
Go above and beyond to prevent
Any doubts raised on my performance
Illness or not, I still strive towards excellence
Passion...unbridled 