Tuesday writings~Mine to win

Prompts: underneath, victory, struggles

Mine to Win

Sometimes I wonder why

Others can’t see

The me I see

This hidden illness

That presents to most

As if I were

Like everyone else

I wish I was

But underneath this smile

This tender heart

If you look closely at my eyes

You’d see the struggles

That I have

How much pain

I don’t share

How dead tired I am

Because I try hard to see

The good and not the bad

Ignore the disease

That holds me captive

So I can beat it

In my own way

But from time to time

I forget to fight

Let darkness triumph

Then I look

In the mirror to see

Death warmed over

I purse my lips

And smile

For I won’t let fibromyalgia

Or my autoimmune condition succeed

My life is my own

To be happy or sad

I choose to smile

This victory is mine to win

                                                                                                                ©Sheilagh Lee February 19, 2018