THE GREAT AWAKENING

This is a poem I originally wrote before my brain surgery in
2007. The surgery has been very beneficial and it allowed me
to work for probably three more years than had I not had it.
It is not for all Parkinson’s patients, but I think it was the right
choice for me. Yesterday, I had surgery to replace my original
chest battery which died after four successful years. Deep brain
stimulation as it is called, involves putting electrodes strategically
in the brain, usually near the subthalamic nucleus and then attaching the
electrodes to the chest battery which sends electricity to the brain.
The electrodes powered by the chest battery serve as sort of a pacemaker to the brain, allowing a Parkinson’s patient to
drastically reduce the amount of medicine he or she has to
take. This greatly reduces the dyskinesias, the writhing and
excess movement that is a side effect of the drugs, often more
distressing than the disease itself. I am a layman and the above
is my non-scientific attempt to explain it simply. Please consult
a doctor or medical professional for a better explanation,
And hopefully the poem will explain further my own experience.

THE GREAT AWAKENING

This will be my great big day, a bountiful awakening,
Two holes drilled into my skull,
Electrodes probe my sickly brain.

At last it has come down to this, the medicine is hit or miss
And slow and slothful muscles bring me tearful to my knees.

The pills that once brought such relief,
Send me flailing, give me grief,
And I have reached the murky seas
Where the cure looms worse than the disease.

I am waiting for the moment grand,
To feel the healer’s skillful hands,
And cross the threshold of my pain,
The stiffness cruel, the trembling.

I’m eager for the felling of these dreadful prison bars,
These chains around my arms and legs, these shackles made of iron.

Each breath is laced with a grim exhale,
Each movement deigns to be my last,
This bitter boat that bears me forth,
Is sinking in the maelstrom fast.

These skull holes are the boost I need,
A first small step, a tiny seed,
To spread and nourish life anew,
To test my strength and fortitude.

I raise my glass to this new day, to toast the great awakening,
A battery placed inside my chest, a cause for celebrating.

Finally it has come to this, no time for sitting on the fence.
At last I throw the gauntlet down and claim my recompense.

-Bruce Potts
Copyright 2011
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED