A poem written by my 18 year old (Pomona-bound!) daughter Alex, in support of Lupus Awareness Month.

An Ode to Lupus

Oh Lupus, you do suck so bad,
...At times you drive my family mad.
It’s not that fun when, due to flares,
Not Mom nor I can manage stairs;
Or when our favorite shoes don’t fit
Because our ankles look a bit
Like elephants’, so large and blotched
To match our knuckles, white and locked;
Or when the guys run off to do
Athletic things, that we like, too,
But can’t because it hurts too much
So then sit in, and order lunch.
So screw you, Lupus, but until
A cure is found (we know it will)
We’ll carry on with badass lives
With determined, undefeated minds.
We’ll have our mother/daughter bonding
As matching blood-draw marks are bleeding;
We’ll take walks, and stop a while
To catch our breath, and then we’ll smile
At the silly story one of us told
Of a friend, or book, or memory old;
We’ll buy enormous, silly hats
To keep sensitive skin from burning fast,
Then venture out to summer days
By our Lupus, yet unfazed.

Both my girls rock! If you're so inclined, please consider the Lupus Foundation for some of your giving dollars ... they lead a great fight against a crappy disease.