Having HS, a poem by me

Open holes
Open heart
Trying to learn to embrace these scars

See what you want to see
Or see what I see
See what can't always be seen with your eyes
But what is my reality

Up and down
Inside and out
A literal "bumpy path"
A little compassion and understanding
Is that too much to ask

I smile
I cry
I scream
I laugh
But when we do these things together
The pain is cut in half

Sometimes I feel embarrassed
Sometimes I feel alone
Sometimes I have to remind myself
You just have to keep moving on

Giving in to all the "I can't"s
Would be surrendering to this war
Though my body fights against itself
This life holds so much more

It holds much more than pain
It holds much more than fear
It holds the joy of all the things
That HS will never make disappear

It cannot take away that which I am not willing to give
The thing about living with HS is that you have to remember to LIVE

Love those you love
Create something new
Don't let this pain take away the best parts of you

I am thankful for every single day
Whether it be good or bad
Because HS doesn't make or break me
It is just something that I have

~Kate Fallecker