I wrote this 3 or 4 years ago when I realized my arthritis had worsened to the point that I could no longer continue writing full time. It was a bittersweet time for me, and while I'm sure that all my frustration shows, I hope some humor does too.

The Silenced Keyboard

If it were simply this stiffness that I suffered
Just maybe there would be some way to ignore it
Or if all I had to endure was a staggering pain
I might focus inward to somehow blindly carry on
But this most evil partnership that now inflicts
My every waking moment seems to rob me of meaning
For who is a writer if he no longer can pen words
With pencil and paper nor his computer’s keyboard
Because like no other profession known to society
A man of words does become his collected thoughts

As I gaze upon these trembling fingers and hands
The swollen joints and gnarled knobs haunt me so
While stanzas and ideas plead for their release
Too often they remain trapped deep within my id
A coffee drinker, spare me your tea and sympathy
I still have many ways in which to express myself
Unlike victims afflicted with dreaded Alzheimer’s
And so as I bemoan these woes I have now collected
I’ll remind myself to count my assorted blessings
There are still so many ways to celebrate my life

So as I lash out at the shortcomings I do possess
A spark of compassion weeps for those worse than I
For I still use this wondrous gift of imagination
While these hands may have abandoned my creativity
At least I still dream, & hope, & remember the past
Even in my agony I do shudder for those mentally ill
Who like my late father, must live in a painful void
No, it isn’t wrong to regret these slings and arrows
That litter and burden the pathways of my existence
But can we offer understanding to stricken friends

I won’t suffer in silence, like my underused keyboard
At least I still can hunt and peck occasional poetry
So although I might be hopeless I’m not yet helpless
While I do feel for those poor souls worse off than I
My focus of course is upon my aches & pains & woes
There are countless articles and stories left undone
Which to many folk might be a blessing in disguise
The world will hardly miss any of my unwritten wisdom
But as these creative juices of mine go unfulfilled
I can’t help but feel that part of me has been lost.

this is really touching.... then how do u manage to type??

Well, the casual typing I do on forums and to write poetry isn't as disabling as the wear and tear of being a professional freelancer working 15 hours a day nearly non-stop. But I use a combination of OTC pain killers, and a system I call Meditate and Ignore. The more I meditate, the more peace and calm I have, which makes coping with my pain much easier.

John

thats so true. but i really admire u for ur courage. coming to terms with things is so  important. once u do.. then it is easier for u to face it. i hope u achieve all that u ever wanted frm life.
swetha