More Entries:
    

All alone in the dark, a child hears her parents.
Screaming, they're always screaming.s
Piercing through the young child’s head,
they never knew she was there.
 All alone. She looks to the streets for her own family now,
not bound by blood, but something much thicker.
Betrayal seeks them out of the night
and sends them looking for others.
She has nowhere to run, no longer a place to hide.
The screams go on inside her now, as she watches herself move.
All alone. No longer a child, but not quit an adult, she's torn between two
worlds.
No one told her it wasn't her fault,
no one explained that it happens sometimes.
She watches the world from the inside now,
she's too far away to reach,
She's all alone.
How could she have lost so much, and only lived so long?
She'll never know the true answer to this, she's much too far away.
Six feet, an inch...we'll never know...she's all alone. She watched all her
loved ones, just slip away.
Why didn't they come looking for her?
Go into her world of pain? It’s not my fault and never will be again, they
should have told me, when I was her.
All alone in the dark.

© 2002

An Alternate Reality
by Linette Schreiber

Is the world crooked,
or is it I?
I cannot tell,
It's a trick of the eye!  

The walls pulsate--
within, I spin--
my brain is pounding
out and in!

If I could but regurgitate,
perhaps it wouldn't be too late
to avoid this purgatory
of another miserable migraine story!

© 2002

Another Place
by Sandra Koprowski

Where pain lives,
Nothing gives.
Nobody knows.
Relentless, unforgiving.

Pounding, pulsing,
Flashing lights.
Consuming agony,
I have no rights.

Relax, they say.
Not a clue.
It will go away.
Not today.

I take control,
I will have my way.
I do what I must,
It will go away.

© 2002

Coming Apart
by Holly Young

Coming apart from mind
is what I fear may evolve.
Sixteen and confused
what was going on?
Mood Disorder the doc said.
Just a chemical imbalance that’s all.

Now 4 years, and many meds later
I have realized many things
I have what my Dad has
I have a mental Illness
I  am not crazy but can be.

I can be many things
But what is best of all,
Is that no matter what
I am still me, and not
my father.

© 2002

Contemplations on a Heart
by Eric Stone

I wonder if she knows why
I sit staring at every breath
Does she know my hearts a flutter
Focused, praying to stave off death.

Does she know of my intentions
How much trust does she allow
Is her heart secure knowing,
That I am here for her now.

Why is her sleep so calm and quiet
She looks so peaceful lying there
Snoozing cozily as a baby,
The lights glistening on beautiful hair.

I sit staring at her counting
One by one
Freckles on her pretty face
I hope I am never done.

Gently She squeezes my hand
Till the pain does pass
Softly she purrs surprises
Until uncomforts pass.

How much would I pay
What I would not give
To take away all her trials
Ease the way we live

The moon and stars I'd give right now
To take away her pain
Any price is not too much
For her to feel well again

I long for her to chastise me
Playfully for an error
Smack my arm or pinch my chest
For being such a starer.

I wish that she would sit up
Call me a dork then slap my hand
Be all better
It would certainly be grand

It is incredibly hard to see
The one you love weak and sore
Laying in her sick bed
Rent and looking so poor.

I wish that I could take her now
And hold her in my arms so tight
Whisk her away form all these things
And with my love make it right.

Alas she still is lying next to me
Restfully sleeping as she might
I lean over and gently kiss her
Whispering all will be all right.

Gently she reacts
Heartbeats faster just a bit
Then she relaxes
The painful expressions quit.

She is oblivious to the change
So subtle and so distant
But I see the difference is her face
It happened in an instant.

I whisper to her how I feel
Confess my heart and soul
Hoping that it might help
Reduce her pains toll.
Her lies the beautiful woman
That would not take a no
She gave me many chances
Until I said I'd go

She is so pretty
Funny and very kind
To like the likes of me
She must have lost her mind

But yet she does
Love me alone
Beauty and the beast
Right inside my home.

Never before have I been
So happy as I am now
She breathes new life into me
To her my heart I avow

Arise now my darling
Come with me and dance
If only in my dreams
Can the two of us prance.

Hold me in your arms my darling
Squeeze me very tight
Sleep with me my darling
Dream of me tonight.

Soon you will be better
Soon you will stand again
then walk with me my sweetie
I pray tonight Amen.

© 2002

DEAMONS
by Melissa Cox-Howlett

MY DEAMONS SLEEP WITH ME IN MY BED OF THORNS
THEY GUIDE MY THOUGHTS AND ALWAYS KEEP ME IN REACH
THEY PINCH MY SPINE AND BEAT MY HEAD TO STIR MY SLEEP
THEY THREATEN TO CRUSH MY SKULL IF I DO NOT SUBMIT
THEY FILE DOWN MY NERVES OF RESISTANCE
I CRY AND GIVE WAY TO THEIR HIDEOUS LAUGHTER AT MY PAIN
THEY CHALLENGE MY HEART TO BEAT AND MY EYES TO SEE
THEY PICK AT MY BRAIN WITH NEEDLES OF FIRE
I AM AT THEIR MERCY
I BEG TO DIE
I CAN'T LIVE WITH YOUR TORTURE
THEY DEVOUR MY SOUL AND SAVOR THEIR REVENGE

© 2002

Drifting
by MLB
            
The storm clouds build slowly
Unnoticed.
Laying heavy on the horizon, they continue to build
Until
That crackle of lightening
Releases the storm’s full fury.

With the storm raging inside my head
Every whisper is deafening thunder
Every light is a blinding bolt of lightening
that sends white-hot pain
Searing through my brain.

As the storm continues to rage,
the sea, like my stomach, churns violently.

Adrift on the raging sea,
I vainly search for a
quiet, safe
harbor.

In the distance, I see a harbor
Awaiting me there are
Calm, quiet, dark waters that are
Safe from the storm’s ravages.
I dock myself in the tranquil waters and
Wait for the storm to pass.

I look beside me.
There you are,
and HUNDREDS more like you!
Setting sail
Oblivious to the storm around me.
How can the seas around ME
Rage so violently,
Yet you, you sail free?

As time passes,
My waters will calm.
I will sail again.

© 2002

© 2002

I promised myself I would never feel the intense throbbing, that I would
never acknowledge you again, but you consume me as a thief in the night.
I paste myself camouflaged on the ceiling intent upon hiding from your dark,
invasive presence but you find me and inflict as pain as a cobra to its prey.
Or maybe I loose myself in a moment from the past, the future and you
slither and devour me as I devoured the forbidden fruit.

Go away please.
You hurt you rob and the tears your bring rain death as ruby as sliced
wrists, cherry red blood flowing and easing onto the constant cloak of dread.
Dread that erodes the limestone life, covers the pleasures in awful pain,
shadows the true self in the presence of self-doubt.
Pushes the inner being toward a death wish, the desire for solitude, and
drowning in self-absorbed sorrow.

Please end.
It is the death of friendships and family, loosing touch with God, it is the
disintegration of your self - esteem and self - determination
The whole complete self that once naturally existed and is never coming
back. Facing the fact that pain rules life more than God, a depressing truth.
So, enjoy the day.

© 2002

Here it comes . . . the pain I fear the most.
My medicine isn't working, I am on a downward coast.
Unable to drive, I call for assistance . . .
"Could you get me to a Physician?"
My tone most insistent . . .
The nurse turns off the lights as I lie on the table,
"The doctor will be in as soon as he is able."
I am now in a fetal position, my head hangs
over the table
I have to throw up . . . my stomach is not stable.
Finally the doctor enters the room . . .
His attitude I can sense . . .
my body is so tense . . .
He tells me "It's all in your head"
"Get some rest, go back to bed"
I knew it when he entered the room . . .
He leaves me with nothing . . . but doom.
"You're right," I whisper . . .
It is "All in my head . . .
with pain so intense at times I wish I were dead!"
"Perhaps you need counseling" he counters
under his breath . . .
"What I need is treatment, not wishing for death."
He writes a prescription and leaves it on the table . . .
"You can get up now . . .
     whenever you are able."

© 2002

I Don't Know Why
by Katherine Jones

I don’t know why I do some things.
I cant understand this complication.
I wish I was innocent. I wish I understood.
Why.
It hurts and it haunts terribly.
I see things in black. No color to life.
I want to die. I don't want to suffer anymore
.... suffer from my mind.
I don't want to hold it all in.
I don't understand myself and my mind.
I want to run and run away.
I was so innocent as a child.
What happened to me? Who did this to me?
Why can't I win this battle I fight?
This battle I fight continuously.
I have too many battle scars. Please help me heal.
I can't fight it anymore.
I can't tackle these things in my mind any longer.
I swore in my mind today I was beyond help.
I need help with my mind. Please God help me.
Please help me. I can't go any further into my pit.
I cannot be haunted and hurting anymore.
I am lost and I just want to die where I am.

© 2002

I Sit Here Waiting
by Katherine Tillery

I sit here waiting patiently
And wipe away a tear
Wishing that my daughter
Would suddenly appear

For her to say, "How are you Mom?"
And greet me with a smile
Just to sit beside me
To talk for a little while

It's hard for me to understand
Just what I'm doing here
What happened to my family
I know they used to care

How come I've been abandoned
Like some old worn out shoe
What crime have I committed
What bad thing did I do

True, I have a bed to sleep in
And I'm sheltered from the rain
But there's precious little else
To ease my loneliness and pain

I'm only one of many
Alone and sad today
Who finds the price for longer life
Is much to high to pay

This picture could be quickly changed
If everyone would spend
Some extra time just visiting
A mother, father, or friend

I'm shut away from all the things
That once were held so dear
And I need to be reminded
That someone is still near

To take me by the hand and say
I've missed you mom, and smile
And then sit close beside me
Just to love me for a while.

© 2002

I try to enjoy . . .
by Arnold Sadwin

I try to enjoy it but there's too much strain
It causes a change in my migraine brain
I want the pleasure but I get the pain
Because of the problem I have to abstain.
No one knows just why it takes place
I only know it's is too hard to face
And nothing I take nor the way that I pace
Can stop the pain coming or me in its place.
"Not tonight, dear heart, I don't need the headache"
He answers, "OK,” just for my sake.

© 2002

I Wake Once More
by Norma Draper

© 2002

Its Reach
by Jeffrey Patten

Stand here.
Feel the creep of undertow
pull moving gritty ledges
from beneath your life.
Don't fall!
Don't drop into my nightmare.

Blinking can't forestall it.
Sight is pressed from eyes
in densely questing hurt
whose creeping brink of flashing glass
draws all
to terrifying Void.

The gentle lap
of common doings in the halls
is insane rushing violence in the head.
The other side of Too Much:
Sense concedes.

The loss makes up
       and up
              and up
    in Pain.
Its crushing mindless beating
locks,
    in Thrall.
      
I watch.

( He keens and pitches in its dance.
The stricken beast
would have the axe --
the polished heavy blade
with levered grip --
to split and break him open
bringing blessed ordinary pain.
    Release. )

I can't.
    My job's to calmly watch.

It   doesn't   end  . . .
    I can't.
     
Crisis.    I call out.
Reintegrated by this effort now,
I'm led to where I must convulse
in bitter homage to its passing.
Only when I'm cramped and spent
does hostage sight
return to me.

I see
from forty years gone by
as yesterday.
    ( A strange edge of light
    can mirror
    blinding unexpected fright! )
But no,
it has been that long since.

Oh my God
    my God!
It's worse now!
    Now it's worse:
I gave it to my daughter now.
    Now I gave it to my son.

I tell myself
( myself alone
the one whose soul
might put to me
this bargain )
that I will take it back
and have it for them.
Live it all again.
Spare them what I've known.
My children.
Trusting children.

        Do you know that I would do this?

        ( Do I? )

Forgive me

I am guilty.
Guilty, 
     having asked.

© 2002

Just Another Headache
by Shaun

When I get home
The lights are off
My wife lays in bed
with ice on her head
I ask her what's wrong
and to me
It sounds like the
same old song

I'll never understand
the pain
How it can last
for days
without a real cure
It's just another headache
I used to say
But after all
these years
I'm just not so sure
Hopefully, one day
it won't be a question anymore

© 2002

Midst of A Migraine
by Erica

It begins like an army of dull hammers,
Waging war on your skull.
Trying to destroy it,
shatter it into a million pieces.
To win this battle,
To conquer you, and be your ruler.
But it already holds the remote-control
To your life.

Then your head is a drum,
With a rock-star musician
Practicing his hardest.
Using his drumsticks as lethal weapons.
Temporarily disabling you,
Until intermission.

Ophthalmological illusions creep up,
Accompanying the head pain,
as stink accompanies a dumpster.
Always blurriness and blind spots,
Sometimes colors and odd shapes-
a private fireworks display,
Except pleasure is replaced by pain,
And they don't just come on July 4th,
But whenever they want,
An unwelcomed guest,
With no warning.

Concentration collapses.
Your mind is a foggy cloud,
Your brain, a camera with a broken focus lens.
It leaves you unable to comprehend,
Or understand anything,
except for the pain.
Simple math becomes so difficult,
Unless one plus one
Really does equal... five?

Noise is an unavoidable enemy,
While silence is a true friend,
That hides in the shadows,
And is as plentiful as aliens.
But it understands, and it isn't
A mocking parrot, a Curious George,
A (wannabe) lie detector, or a laughing hyena,
Like the rest of the world,
Who can't imagine what your going through,
In the midst of a migraine.

© 2002

MONSTERS
by Melissa Cox-Howlett

            A monster exists in my head.  He has taken up residence with
lock and key behind my eyes.  With every twinge of pain in my eye, I hear
his key in the door.

            My brain becomes his shooting gallery.  He straps on his steel
studded cleats as he uses the inside of my skull for his running track.  His
claws rip and shred at my brain.  The torture continues almost to the point
of death.  Then suddenly he stops to let me live so he can torture me again,
and again, and again.

 When the pain finally stops, I collapse in exhaustion. This monster has
taken my identity.  I have no control over his visits.  He holds my life in
the palm of his callused hand.  All I can do is curl up in the corner of my
mind and wait for his next assault.

            The monster has a name.  "CLUSTER HEADACHES", and there is no
cure.  I suffer from chronic cluster headaches.  I experience 3-4 a day with
a duration time of two to three hours each time.  You see, monsters really
do exist, even if only in the mind.

© 2002

My Life
by Jan Boies

The earth needs the sun to survive
I put on sunglasses and hide
Pull down the shades to keep out the light
Like Dracula, I need the darkness of night.

I am so sick of being sick, tired of bailing out on co-workers
With such terrible pain, I think it would damage the brain
Sometimes the pain is so bad I think I might die
Sometimes I wouldn't mind if I did.

I miss a meal, sleep too late, or worse can't sleep at all
Is it my fault I'm just trying to live my life?
The weather changes, a stranger in the elevator wears perfume
How do I control migraine triggers beyond my control?

One doctor said migraines are not disabling like cancer or AIDS
True, they're not likely to kill me.
But what is the cost of a lost afternoon, a lost week?
It's missing your child's soccer game and spending the family vacation in bed

My hope: Scientists, people much wiser than me
Will learn something new about brain chemistry
And find a miracle cure with a guarantee
Then in my hope, of all hopes, we all will be free.

© 2002

My Nightmare
by John Darrett

Welcome to my nightmare, now what do you fear;
Not being able to provide for those you hold dear;
Taking medicine that clears your mind and steals who you are;
Or after a night of pain watching the sun rise from afar;
Or stare at an injection you don't want to take;
And at the first sign of pain , fill with hate;
You fight the pain, but never truly win;
hen wait for the next day to start over again.
 

© 2002

My Personal Storm
by Bruce J. Schryver Ph.D., CSP

There is a light, dancing and strobing within my eyes
A beautiful vision if only its true purpose were naught
For this is the aura, the harbinger of things to come
And not a light show that my mind ever sought

The pain arrives suddenly, as the flash of a lightning bolt
Or slowly, as the thunder of a far off storm
Building and raging inside my head
With an intensity that exceeds every norm

My eyes close at the light, praying for the darkness to come
My world becomes very small, now all within my head
The throbbing pain at every sound as the storm goes on
And I try to lie motionless and ease my pain upon the bed

The terrible storm continues to rage, assaulting my entire being
Waves of nausea wash over me bringing new misery
The throbbing and pain just weren't enough
The migraine had to deliver these new feelings to me

The medications I have taken don't seem to work
Not even enough to allow a few minutes rest
I want to consume the entire bottle at once
But know even that won't quell this tempest.

I want to lie still, but know that I can't
I curl up in a ball, and pray for relief
Please take this pain away from me
It's just too much and I can't stand the grief

The ebbing of nausea shows the medications are working
I feel some relief as the pain dims a little
The storm is easing, passing into the distance
It's not over yet, but I've reached the middle

The pain starts to subside and I lie very still
Afraid to move, fearing the return of the storm
As suddenly as it came, the tempest is over
I feel weak and drained, certainly not my norm

I've survived another migraine, my personal storm
That rages within me, no one else can discern
The thunder and lightning that strike me inside
Is mine, only mine, and I know will surely return.

© 2002

Netherworld
by Lamar Causey

© 2002

No Mercy
by Patsy Keene

Warriors arising and waging battle
with flashing lights and bottomless pits.
Prison bars of pain wreck havoc on
my soul and those of my loved ones.
My pain is reflected in their eyes.

Agony for minutes, hours, and days.
Longing for freedom, relief, an
escape from these soldiers of pain
who show no mercy.
Tormenting me, robbing me of sleep.
Why is this familiar stranger stalking
me waiting for the opportunity to
once more chain me within the bars
of a migraine?

© 2002

NOT AGAIN
by Jenn

Stabbing, jabbing
Ripping, tearing -at my brain. It's soaking me up.
The unwanted guest filters itself through my existence
It wants to own me. Have I given up the fight?

Take a pill, and then take a chill, my bottles filled,
Will this help?
Please can you do something for this pain?
Could you please see me today, it's an emergency.
My head is swollen. My face hurts me.

How much can I deal with today, will it be the limit?
Doctor, I don't have health insurance, but I give up.
I'll pay you whatever my pocket holds
If you can make my vision clear again.

How many hours have I lain here? Did they forget about me?
I am not panicking. I am in safe hands. They must help me.
My eyes scream, over their tortured confusion.
Doctor I see two of you.

Turn around, turn over, and let's try another shot.
This one is stronger. You should be fine.
Here's a prescription; this should work.
You again? You can't keep coming here this place is for emergencies.

Can you turn the light off please?
It's awful to see.
Why can't I just get a new face?
I imagine a beheading, but seriously think I may die.

It's your sinuses; inhale some spray. Be careful; that's addictive.
But it's the only relief I can find!
Critters called bacteria are trying to eat you up.
Others look at me in disgust. Infection you say?

Prescription number three,
How many milligrams?
Antibiotics are like gold,
But nothing is like the Demorral.

It's the weather, and the changes that affect you,
Haven't I lived here all my life?
The weather can't get inside my head,
Even the weather wouldn't do this to me.

Deal with it,
You're just one of those people.
Good luck. I hope you feel better. Yeah, me too!
I cannot live much longer this way.

Over two months later,
I wake up, and my eyes invite fresh hope,
 But I find the same undesired guest in my bed and in my head.
The rushing, crushing, excruciating pain,
I am still waiting to feel something other than a headache.

I wait until Thursday when the CAT scan will save my sanity.
Or will it?

© 2002s

Pain In My Brain
by Reebok

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like,
to have no bad Migraine Attack,
To do the things that I need to do,
without this pain and sickness too!
I feel like I have made God mad,
to have this pain to hurt so bad
It hurts so bad right to the brain, but
all the tests just show the same,
I feel so bad for those who've
died, and all around them friends who've cried.
They won't suffer anymore,
they won't feel the pain, up in Heaven is where
they'll be, waiting to see
friends again.

© 2002

Pain is my god
by Lamar Causey

Was it or wasn't it? Something unusual did occur.
The dreams are most vivid. Did the dreams force me to do?
And if the dreams are the key that unlocks the hidden,
Whether desires or secret pasts or future events,
Are my dreams driving my actions?

And the carnal world, it no longer exists.
Driven beyond reach of my uncut fingernails,
Intentionally left to grow to attain the maddening,
Driving force that once pleasantly possessed.
The carnal desires seem to have been buried.

But buried under what?
Pain is the logical choice, the mental anguish
Flamed and fanned so suddenly,
The physical pain omniscient and omnipotent.

Pain is god.
Hand herein lies the crux of the disease.
If there can be no other Supreme Being
Than god with a capital "g",
The allowance of pain as another perverse,
Lesser, idol has seeped into the center
Of my being, robbing me of the will to live.
Pain is my god.

© 2002

Rainbow, Pounding, Pill and Peace
by Teena Whitesides

Starting like
a tiny twinkling of a star
throbbing gently
ever so slowly
taking over my one half of my sight.
Multicolored rainbow
of pulsating sparkles
moving across my visual screen
until I can barely see around it
yet making me feel
queasy and nauseated.
Then soon it disappears
leaving behind
on the opposite side
of my once happy head
a hammering pounding
mind blasting ache.
I need some magic
pill to relieve the pain
from this shard of glass
wedged in my head.
Give me some peace
in a room
with darkness
and silence.

© 2002

Stop
by Amber Bee

Stop this now before I quit.
I don't need you or want you, I never did.
You just linger on and on
Until I loosen your wound up leash
But. you always come back
Why do you come back?
I warned you so many times.
This is not a joke
I have never laughed once.
The only emotion you caused was sadness and tears
Why are you so painful?
With seemingly no end?
Do I deserve this unreasonable punishment?
Does this make me a bad person?
Look, I'm tired of being put in the corner
To stand out from the crowd
They all look at me and don't understand,
Well I don't understand either
Why did you pick me?
Please ease up, please
Don't do this to your next owner
Just stop, stop doing this
To everyone you meet
No one wants this treatment
Remember the damage you caused me
And I will release hoping you will soon stop.

© 2002

The Barn Cats
by Vess Quinlan

© 2002

THE CHILD
by Melissa Cox-Howlett
            

A TWINGE OF PAIN
I AM RUNNING THROUGH A DEAFENING FOG
MY HEART POUNDS WITH FEAR
HE IS COMING
I LOOK BACK OVER MY SHOULDER
MY ATTACKER CAN'T BE SEEN
I FEEL HIM CLOSE
I LOOK AHEAD
THERE HE IS
HE GRABS MY SHOULDERS
HE FORCES HIMSELF INTO MY HEAD
HIS STEEL STUDDED CLEATS DIG IN
MY SKULL IS HIS RACE TRACK
A MEAT GRINDER SHREDS MY BRAIN
I BEAT MY HEAD TO FORCE THE INTRUDER OUT
A TEAR ROLLS DOWN MY TORTURED FACE
MY CHILDREN KNOW
"MOMMY HAS A HEADACHE AGAIN"
MY HEART BREAKS
THE CARTOONS GO OFF
THEY BECOME THE MOM
I BECOME THE CHILD
THE CHILD RUNNING THROUGH THE DEAFENING FOG

© 2002

The dark of night
by jimac35754

In the dark of night, it will come.
Without pity, it lays claim.
Like a silent enemy, it attacks, not all, only some.
Selective it is, with careful aim.
Not just anyone is favored.
Yet, the encounter is usually the same.
The ending savored.

In the dark of night, who can we blame?
The pain and agony, we shall endure.
We are heard with a silent scream.
I will not give justification and tell its name.
It will come again that is for sure.
To split our heads like a seam.

In the dark of night, it has come.
We escape to our safe, silent and private place.
We can not hide. It will molest our lives yet once more.
By the grace of God, we will win this race.

In the dark of night, who can we blame?
Do not look at us in disbelief when we seek support.
Do not send us away. Oh, what a shame.
Do not give us grief.
We demand respect, dignity, help - relief.

In the dark of night, who can be blamed?
No one.
We will fight this battle in our own way.
We will not be maimed.
With a heart filled with faith and never-ending resolve.
We will learn about our adversary and seek support.
With hope and prayer, we hold our ground.

Not to be taken from this life we hold so dear.
In all battles, some are lost.
My friends, we will not pay that cost.
Family, friends, hospitals and doctors all will have a role.

Soon, I hope; this pain is taking its toll.
As a team, we shall prevail. Together we will regain life.
We will overcome this painful strife.
We fight this courageous battle
with a two edged sword of determination
and the required, but unwanted, chemical medication.

In the dark of night, it will come.
Our adversary, invisible to all,
felt by few - a demon straight from hell.
The name of our foe is well known.
Moreover, it's name, I will now tell.
You have all heard it before -
It is a DISEASE and its name is MIGRAINE.

(Inspired and written under the influence of a migraine.)

© 2002

The day the 'Thud' came to call
by Rick Crow

I wasn't looking for a fight this eve, but it came upon me anyway.
It came upon me slowly at first, sneaking up in search of prey.
With no remorse or intent beyond the wracking of my cerebellum,
It drew in close upon my sinus, perched upon my nasal column.
There it strayed not a wit or whim, never did it call for traction.
All it sought was in my suffering, pleased in its own distraction.
Further it dove until it hit the wall, stopping at once to meet the contest.
"I don't need this!" I exclaimed, and grabbed the medicine without jest.
But such a clever predator would not be stopped by that mere pale,
It ripped its way through my blockade, and set upon my brain to rail.
I pulled my hair, I grit my teeth, I cried out, "Stop!" in pain,
I even rolled upon the ground, but all my effort was in vain.
The beast, it had me, knowing well, the strength it had would hold.
But I had something it hadn't guessed yet, something of which it was never told.
I forgot to take my lunch, you see, and that had caused my ache.
The lack of fuel into my body, that had been my one mistake.
I worked too hard, I forgot to eat, and low blood sugar was the culprit.
All I needed was some food, perhaps a sandwich or a biscuit.
Once I had some intake there, resting in my gullet full,
The claws of the thing simply let go, and slid away without a pull.
So, in my leaving you with this, you might consider all need be done,
Is find the cause, take care of it quick, and your Thud might be very well gone.

© 2002

The Mighty Oak
by SoftBreezeMe

Once I felt like the mighty Oak,
My arms were strong and reached
beyond my wildest hopes.
I lived as a single mother and that was "ok'
If God wanted me to marry, He would send him my way.
We met, my soul mate of just four years,
and now our family has grown through those few years.
I had been to doctors who told me why my headaches were so unbearable...
but now I learned the meaning of a new word,
Migraine ... that's what I have,
and for years I had endured them, the Oak tree was sad.
This pas year was the worst, every branch had been shaken...
but before I knew it I was about to be broken.
What I thought was a simple Migraine behind my right eye,
my doctor said "no" and then explained why.
We looked at the x-rays and there it was ...
an aneurysm he said in a soft but hollow voice.
It was in that very moment that my life would NEVER be the same
for God had reminded me that He is King.
No longer an Oak tree, no not me ...
for I am as small as a acorn of that I can see.
My Faith is now with the Father for He is all things,
and no amount of pain I suffer will ever be greater than His.

© 2002

The Onslaught
by Linette Schreiber

The sluggish blood beats
through the battlefield of Braintree--
It trounces, then retreats,
like the sea's ebb and flow.

This physiological storm
never-ending, but climaxing--
at least bimonthly pulsing
with ceremonial woe

(Which side will win the electrical charge?)
The blood thrusts offensive;
resisting vessels groan,
Through the cry of pain pounds
its dreaded, drumming drone.

It's the Battle of the Bulge
re-enacted in my head!
It began with fireworks,
but ended up with me in bed!

Soon, will be a truce--
Peace will rules the waves,
and I'll gracefully retreat
to pharmaceutical enclaves!

There will be a lull--
The Treaty of Anodyne,
Till the Enemy assails me,
yet another time!  

(This account of agony
seems flowery and facile,
'cause writing with a migraine,
is too much of a hassle!)

© 2002

This Incredible Dream
by Paula

I had this incredible dream
The world was different
Almost normal it would seem
Almost Heaven sent

My madness in my mind
No longer existed
All was well I did find
Sadness was resisted

Alas I woke from this dream to see
A world around me not as free
But you my friend were there
Giving me solace comforting my despair.

© 2002

thoughts racing thru your head
by Mandy Bright

© 2002

TRUE LOVE
by Bill Riley

As I sit in vain
Watching my loved one in pain
Wandering what they are going through
I feel so helpless not knowing what to do
I am there for them wandering, should I go
Or should I stay. I want to be there for them
I will give them all the support I can. I will give
Them hugs, I will keep the house quite as I can
I will get their medicine, I will take them to the
Doctor if need be. I will be there for them through
Thick or thin, most of all I will be there to Love them
No matter what the deal. I will never say "You are a pain"
I will always say "I will love you forever" I would give my life
To be able to take away the pain so my loved one would be able
To live a normal, healthy life and not wander when the monster is
Going to attack again. I will dedicate my life to helping them so they can be as pain free as possible.

(This is dedicated to Lisa Marcellus, the LOVE of my Life and soon to be my wife.)

© 2002

What is this pain?
by Gail Nielsen

What is this pain that's coming on
my head feels heavy like a ton
I say, "please headache, please be gone
today was my day for having fun

I've looked forward to this day
and now you have to come to pay
a visit when I don't need you
please disappear, don't make me blue

Why do you come at all I ask
you make my life such a task
I don't need you anytime
whatever did I do that was such a crime?

No time is a good time for me
why can't I be migraine free
I ask this question every week
when my migraine starts to peak

The pain mucks up my life you see
it makes me sick and I cannot see
when will it all end I pray
my life is like the colour grey

Now I awake, and it's the next day
I'm free, I yell, it's gone away
but I feel tired and washed out
but I'm always like this after a 'bout

But I feel so good without any pain
until it happens all over again
but I'll make the most of what I can get
and talk to my friends that I've met on the net

They all know what it's about
to have your head turn inside-out
and outside-in and back to front
and lay in bed and groan and grunt

And now I wait in anticipation
like a lot of people 'round the nation
of waiting ‘til that dreaded day
these migraines come again to stay

But as for now, I'm free from pain
to walk in the sun, or run in the rain
and this is how it is suppose to be
to venture out with my family

I just hope I don't pass it on
to see my daughter or my son
curled up in a ball holding their head
in a dark room on their bed 

But if that happens I'll be there
to love and hold them and tell them I care
but in the meantime, taking meds
helps some of us with our heads

Not that they really do much you see
but if sleep comes, that's good for me
'cause if I can sleep the pain away
all I do is lose a day

Or two or three what does it matter
plus some of these meds tend to make you fatter
but if they really help the pain
then they're better than nothing to keep you sane

So to all my friends that suffer so
I would just like to let you know
that there are many of us out there
that these migraines are not rare

One day they will come up with a solution
to stop this pain that's like a pollution
and help us out and get rid of our pain
so we can live a normal life again!

© 2002

WHO FEELS IT KNOWS IT
by Jacqueline

From the blues you just come
No warning sound, just like a thief
Afraid because no-one ever welcomes you
At least have human respect will you
Who feels it knows it

Morning sickness, malaria you are worst
What can I compare you with, just cant
Too painful, unbearable and very insane
Making them vomit, cry and all that
Who feels it knows it

Should know everyone hates your habit
Visitations like yours, just like that
Numbing the tongue and cooling the hands
Not knowing what's next, just puts me off
Who feels it knows it

Indescribable frontal, sided even back
Attacking on all sides, just too tactful
Many have gone still you are unsatisfied
Be brave you're not alone in this fight
Who feels it knows it

© 2002

Who Was There
by Erin Phipps

As I sit here in the morning, it's always on my mind
Will I make through the day or end up crying inside
Always on the edge, looking for the signs
Will  I make it through the day, waiting for the pain.

The pain strikes like a knife I knew I wouldn't make it
Tears run down my  face as I try and find  some guidance
God, why is my life like this, what did I do so wrong
I know in my heart you will give me the strength
To make it through and carry on

Hiding in the dark, it's always on my mind
How long will I have to hide to get it to subside
Feel the vise squeezing tighter on my head
In the corner, in the dark wishing I was dead

Finally it's time to rest after withstanding so much pain
I see a light from the door, someone is coming for me
Who's hand is that reaching for me am I alive or dead
The touch of the hand and peace of the voice
singing in my head
Slowly drifting off to sleep not knowing who was here.

© 2002

Ye Old Migraine....
by susieg720

Why don't you leave me alone.....
I don't want you to come to me today....
I want you to stay away....
Ye Old Migraine.....
Please leave me alone...
I want to have my life back...
You know the one that I used to have....
Before you came into my life and stole my life away....
Ye Old Migraine....
Please go away and stay away....from me.....
I want to go out and see my friends....
I want to be able to smile and have fun....
But no....Ye Old Migraine....is here to stay....

© 2002

More 2002 Poetry:

• Honorable Mention

• Winning etnries