By Claire Burianek
You are the villain.
You are the enemy.
You turn my skin to ice.
You drain me of life.
You make it impossible to participate.
You cloud my mind.
You change the composition of my body.
You make the breath drain from my lungs.
You are a heavy weight on my chest.
You turn me into a beast.
You steal all strength from me.
You are good.
You are teaching me.
You allow me time to myself.
You force me to refresh my spirit.
You have helped me tune into my body.
You have built up resilience in my bones.
You guide me towards health.
You have showed me people who support me.
You remind me of joy in the little things.
You make sure I cannot forget my mortality.
You are preparing me to respect my boundaries.