You are NOT Alone

You are a teen,

Your future should look bright.

Yet it is almost impossible to look through all the darkness

To find the tiny beacons of light.

Teenage years are not filled with adventure,

Risks, memorable experiences and lessons learnt the hard way.

Medications, sunscreen, fatigue, aches and pain…

Those are what make for an ordinary day.

 

You are a mother whose heart shatters

Every time your little girl has to see you in pain.

When your baby boy’s only wish for Christmas

Is that “Mommy will be healthy again”.

 

You are a wife, who dreams of seeing understanding in his eyes,

To have him hold you and assure you that every thing will be alright.

You are a wife who is blessed with tender love and affection,

But who feels he deserves more and wishes he did not have to face this affliction.

 

You are a husband and a father,

The 10% minority they say.

Society dictates that you put a reign on your emotions,

Even when pain melts all your defences away.

 

You are a girl, a lady, a woman, a fighter,

You are a daughter, a sister, a friend, a mother.

You are a boy, a gentleman, a charmer a warrior,

You are a father, a son, a confidante, a brother.

 

You are Black, White, Asian, Indian, mixed,

You are witty, moody, creative, angry, jovial, smart.

You are emotional, outspoken, brave, loud,

You wear your emotions not on your sleeve, but in your heart.

 

You fight with all your strength, then Lupus knocks you down,

Hiding from the world, you cry, you scream, you moan.

Even though you feel helpless, frustrated, isolated, scared

                                 You do not walk this path alone.  

 

There is someone else, who knows exactly how you feel,

Who cries and aches very much like you do.

There are others who fight this battle every day,

Persons who can relate perfectly to what it is that you go through.

 

He lives in West Africa, North America, East Asia, Australia,

She is helping the homeless in Rome

They are from rural areas, garrisons, the cities and towns

We are from the Caribbean, we are not alone.

 

Fighting Lupus can seem like an impossible task,

And what makes it harder is trying to do it on our own.

As an army we can overcome great obstacles,

I am not, we are not…

No, you are not alone.

                                                                           

 By:Shoyéa-Gaye Grant ©

First published in The Lupus Magazine