31 DAYS IN MAY 2020

Bonjour, 

May is M.E. awareness month leading up to M.E. awareness week from 11th to 17th May and Tuesday 12th May is ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia International Awareness Day. 

Even though I do some awareness raising all year round I like to do something special or different in May. 

You can see my contribution last year in this blog 

This year I will be posting and sharing a poem every day. 

It was a major undertaking last year and to great detriment to my health. Still I hope it was worth it. 

So this year I will not be sharing around so much and I will be hoping that others will share for me. 

Some of the poems I will be sharing are shortened or amended versions from my books. 

Some of the poems will be new. 

I know last year that I had a mixed reception towards my poems. Some people were upset by some of my poems. Some were pleased that I was prepared to be open and honest about the truth of living with M.E. 

So as last year I will post a warning with some of my more sensitive poems. 

I will continue to raise awareness and understanding. 

The way I can do this is through my poems and my blogs. 

So please help and support me. 

Every day you will be able to find my poems on my Facebook Page 

Thank you

 À bientôt

from the French Femme

xxx

Pandemic v M.E.

Bonjour, 

At the moment I'm reading and hearing a lot about how 'normal' people are coping with this recent confinement because of the coronavirus. There are all these wonderful ideas and proposals to help with confinement and self isolation. Of course for them it's only temporary. 

BUT for those of of us with M.E. or any other long term chronic illnesses the situation is permanent. We live in a whole different form of isolation. 

My friend Shirls Chapman has written a great poem comparing the current pandemic versus M.E. 

Pandemic v M.E.

Welcome to my world

All you normal happy folk

Welcome to my life

No this really isn’t a joke

In the days of this pandemic

Self isolation and doubt

This is how I live my life

Day in and day out

You are raring to go

As you do your morning burn

Your creative brains on fire

As you paint then pose and gurn

You put it all on Instagram

Looking for applause

We get washed and that is it

We can’t even manage clothes

Yay, you made it to week three

Now you’re getting really bored

Your ideas have all dried up

Your workout has been floored

You can’t be bothered getting dressed

All your roots are showing through

Try doing this for twelve years

Can’t imagine it, can you?

Shirls Chapman

I have also written many poems about life with M.E. and in this blog I will share a couple of recent ones. 

As full recovery from M.E. is rare it's like we have been given a life sentence.  

Our confinement and self isolation is so completely different from what many healthy 'normal' people are experiencing right now. 

Healthy 'normal' people can not imagine what it's like to live with M.E. 

Only those who suffer the same can empathise. 

 

So we have no choice but to live with this illness and adapt. 

Please feel free to share my blog and poems - especially to healthy people!! 

À bientôt

from the French Femme

xxx