A Poem for Invisible Illness Awareness

Just because you can't see it

Doesn't mean it's not there

So don't stand in judgement

Don't say you don't care

So many diseases 

That cannot be seen

But denying their existence

Is really quite mean

The people who suffer

Including myself

Need belief and acceptance

We're crying for help

The pain that we live through

All night and all day

Is something we hide and

Don't put on display

We live in the shadows

Keep friends in the dark

Mask our pain with fake smiles

It's no "walk in the park"

We strive to look "normal"

As best we can manage

We keep up appearances

So you won't know the damage

The endless stream of symptoms 

That control our daily lives

Are beyond comprehension

And tough to survive

You could never imagine

The pain that we feel

But I can assure you

It's hellishly real

The worst is the doubting

Of family and friends

As to whether or not

They will stay till the end

To many desert us

In our time of need

So I've written this poem

As a warning to heed

Abandoning someone

Is morally wrong

Even when you think

That the person is strong

So don't turn your back

Or call us a fake

You will never understand

The sacrifices we make

Just getting out of bed

Is an endurance trial 

Some days walking a foot

Feels like a mile

Before you make assumptions

Based on what you can't see 

Imagine if it was you in pain

And the non-believer was me

Some illnesses are invisible

To the naked eye

Some victims lose their battles

Too many good people die

So think how you'd feel 

If the roles were reversed

And no one believed

Your invisible curse

Awareness is key

I'm spreading the word

May is our month

So stand up and be heard!

(May is Invisible Illness Awareness Month and in honor of that I wrote this poem...)