M.E. And ME

I ran, I swam, it's who I am

I laughed, had fun, enjoyed the sun.

I was doing such when this begun.

Felt a chill on a good warm day

Aches and pains that won't go away

Like the flu, I heard it said

But arms and legs are made of lead.

Can't remember what I was about to say

Simple words have gone astray

Can't make a choice between two simple things

Someone else is pulling my strings.

I try to read, but it only drains

Focussing harder, just scrambles my brains

The dark clouds descend, lead to despair

The weight of three men sinks into my chair

No outward sign to give a clue

No bandage, mark, no black and blue

Strange, it seems I always look well

Look from this side, then you could tell

Remove the mask for a day to see

The evil face of this beast called M.E.

Like a thief in the night it takes away

Your hope, your strength, your friends

Your likes, your loves your chance to play

And never makes amends

All we want is to be believed

And trusted when we say

Hey GP, can't you see

We didn't ask to be this way

This is real, a real big deal

As big as the 'popular' ills

It needs to be taught, given some thought

Not just a bundle of pills

We don't have a choice, we need a real voice

Give us some hope TODAY

So don't be doubting, we're gonna keep shouting

We're just not going away.

By Bill Clayton