by Susan Landon
Wasn’t it those long, long nights
of searing pain that taught
me what I know of gentleness?
Didn’t the sheer magnitude of pain
help me understand kindness
was a real and present aid -
even when shown only to the self?
I would never invite such a visitor
as pain gladly to my door.
And yet - I wonder if my life
would have [...]

No to unmoral taxes, tirades,
terrorism and tyranny;
Independence starts with a simple “No!”
No to unending demands, damnation,
dehumanization and degradation;
Independence starts with a simple “No!”
No to unhealthy ways, weights,
workloads and worry;
Independence starts with a simple “No!”
By changing the “yes” to a simple “No!”,
Your freedom will be forevermore.

Waking up in the middle of the night with a leg screaming in pain is enough to drive anyone mad. I know what it is like to dread the thought of going to bed knowing the pain would be ever present, gnawing on my sanity. The relentless burn, ache, cramp, and stab can drive anyone [...]

(think Jonny Cash)
‘Cause it burns, burns, burns;
My nerve’s on fire, my nerve’s on fire.
Doc says my spine is stenotic.
Now, my legs act quite chaotic.
What am I to do? What am I to do?
The nerves are pinched in two places.
I can’t stand, walk, or run races.
How can I live? How can I live?
‘Cause it burns, burns, [...]

I’ve got a bee in my Easter bonnet;
What’s got me all worked up?
A buzz that is worth a sonnet;
Women’s healthcare is so screwed up.
Doc says, “You are just a girl.”
Answers should be better than that.
Such responses make my toes fully curl,
Because women deserve better than a pat on the back.
Clearly, women’s healthcare needs more,
When a [...]

Hippidy dippidy hop, all the sudden my back felt a pop.
The egg in the grass looked like an impossible task
Because my back pain was over the top.
I came to a stop saying, “Where is my tot?”
This egg could have put me in bed, so to Sara I said,
“Honey, can you help your ol’ pop?”
With my back [...]