Invisible Companion

A poem about the frustration of living with chronic pain.

They say, “How are you?” and you say ... “Fine.” They say, “Are you okay?” and you say … “Sure.” But you’re not.

They say, “Sitting down on the job again?” and you say ... “Yup, I am.” They say, “Oh, you have the easy job, huh?” and you say … “yeah.” They say, “Smile!” ... and you do. But the smile doesn’t reach your eyes.

They don’t see what’s underneath the surface. They can’t — and you really don’t want them to anyways.

So you put on a brave face, and you keep moving forwards because what else can you do?

There is no changing it. There is no fixing it. There is no end in sight ... and that is the hardest part.