D-Blog Week: The Positive Diabetes Poem

The prompt for today's post is to write a poem about diabetes.  In 2012 I wrote a poem for the 'Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge' called Bad Diabetes Day, which I loved writing!  I'm always excited about opportunities to do something a bit creative and different, so I really enjoyed writing this one too:

The Positive Diabetes Poem

As a little girl I'd never tell,

That I had type 1 D.

I was worried what people might say,

And what they would think of me.

Did her parents feed her too much sugar?

Did she used to be fat?

I was embarrassed of my diabetes,

Didn't want to answer questions like that.

I just wanted to be normal,

Eat whatever I liked for tea,

Not have to think about my blood sugars,

Be injection and blood test free.

But as I got older I realised,

No one can be blamed.

I didn't 'make' myself diabetic,

I shouldn't feel ashamed.

Sometimes bad things happen,

But they make you who you are.

Focusing on the positives

Can get you really far!

Now when I inject in public,

Where other people might be sat,

I remind myself I have diabetes,

And there's nothing wrong with that!

Day 21: Bad Diabetes Day

Right, so I was meant to be generating a 'health madlib poem' but I've wanted to write my own poem about diabetes for ages, so I'm going to use my artistic license and do that instead...

Bad Diabetes Day

Wake up in the morning,

On the wrong side of the bed,

Gasping for some water,

And with a pounding in my head.

Testing my blood sugar,

Hope for nice digits on my screen,

Instead I just wanted to cry,

When Glucometer shows 16!

Get ready to bolus, full of rage,

I hate it when I'm high.

Especially when I'm looking after myself,

And there seems no reason why.

Inject what I'm supposed to,

Manage to keep a level head,

Want to make my blood sugars balanced,

Not end up hypo instead!

Time to check for ketones,

Hope it isn't DKA,

Don't want my blood sugars to be running high,

I just want to get on with my day!

Don't want to test over and over,

Or correction bolus repeatedly,

Don't want to inject in front of people,

Or even do it secretly.

I don't want to change my lancets,

Don't even want to think about insulin,

Don't want to prick my fingers,

Don't want any needles to touch my skin.

Don't want to count my carbohydrates,

Or worry about kidneys, feet and eyes,

I only want to carry a little handbag,

But it's got to fit my diabetes supplies.

Sometimes I want to scream,

But there's no point in raising my voice.

I have to do these things whether I like it or not,

Diabetes leaves me no choice.