"Under my skin"

I wrote this poem in July and posted it on my personal blog I’ve had for several years, but I just realized I hadn’t posted it here yet so I wanted to share. In case you readers haven’t realized, I love poetry. I love reading it, writing it, and finding new ways to string together words and sentences and turn them into a poem.

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Under my skin

There are lots of things that get under my skin.
When people curse the name of God or the country that they’re living in–
When children are hurt and have no choice but to walk around on eggshells and pins–
When justice is served from an outside party instead of within–

Politicians whose rabble seems to have no end.
And talk show doctors who sell out to fit in.
And professionals testing extensively and expensively despite not knowing where to begin.
And celebrities who jump on the bandwagon for an award–for us, defeat, for them, a win.

Assertions that we’ll never live fully again.
Ignoring the reality of our minds’ din.
The clinging and clanging of pencils and pens,
And paper and lamplights and city trash bins.
All enough to make our minds whirl and heads spin.

And they wonder why such commonplace things get under my skin.

Perhaps it’s worthwhile to consider again–
All of these things get under my skin
Because that’s where it is–under my skin.
Sure, outwardly I may look fine but you see the outside, not in.
The war rages deep, under my skin.
The aching and pain and confusion and rain all live together under my skin.
Because that’s where it is–under my skin.

It attacks and desires for me to give in,
But I refuse to obey what’s under my skin.
Yes, there are days I only stay in.
And yes, there are times I feel I can’t win.
But my God is stronger–the Beginning and End.
So how can I let this monster under my skin
Make me doubt enough to give up or give in?

Since my God is the Beginning and the End,
I have hope that He’ll carry me through, yet again.
He’s proved it immeasurably through thick and thin–
How naive would I be to think He won’t still win?

My struggles may seem insurmountable and I don’t know when,
But I WILL get back to my full life again.
I will one day skate for hours on end.
I will walk my dog several times ’round the bend.
I will drive my car around town, with windows down, and enjoy the wind.
I don’t have a mind that is satisfied with ‘mend’–
I operate on principles of ‘healing completely’–with God on my team, worldly answers I’ll transcend.
Because I do not accept this diminished functionality as my story’s end.

God’s writing my book as I travel the bends,
And the twists and the turns and the bumps and amends.
My story’s not over–there’s still more to go–more than I can comprehend.

But rest assured, I am a fighter, my friends.
And fight on I will, till God writes ‘The End’
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And we all will win this war, guys. I firmly believe that.

God bless,

<3
Becca