Rated Pain
by Michael Doyle

Sitting here tonight after the injury
I know that it won't require surgery
But all the same, I don't like the pain
Yet, asking me to rate it feels insane

The trouble is as I stumbled and talked
Is that the path broke as I walked
Who knew that limestone would crumble
Yet, there I was, river-bound in tumble

Now, I got lucky and did not fall in
But all the same, I'd rather not again
There are a lot of bones in a foot to break
Two weeks later, my foot still aches

Pain can be squirrely in how it's complicated
All I know is that I don't need to be sedated
It seems wrong to rate it scale from one to 10
But how else shall we measure this is asked again

We have learned a lot in the 30 or 40 years
That opioids are a bad choice to avoid tears
But then how do we rate pain with any meaning
It's individualized for every single human being

For me, I have chosen to ignore the pain going on
Because I know there are things that need pressing on
Once these goals are met, I will deal with the pain
It's proven inconvenience is best met with ignoring again

Pain is a hydra whose heads are hardly definitive
The choices and experiences can prove quite infinitive
But either way, it comes down to which of our voices
We take our lead from experiencing our life's choices

(c) June 24, 2024    Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved