I know
I will recover

Against all
the evidence
and all the odds
I know this
to be true

My symptoms
will ebb away
My cells will
regenerate

I will live a life
brimming with
vitality, stamina
and the constitution
of an ox

To not shatter
into a million pieces
each week, month
and year,

I’m compelled
and duty-bound
to hold and trust
this to be true

By the Missing Neighbor

From the book: Naked Realties: Living with an Invisible Chronic Illness

https://www.instagram.com/the_missing_neighbor/

(Artist: Tamara de Lempicka, La Dormeuse, 1930)