Poem on Brain Injury by Vicki Sue Parker

Brain Injury, Poetry and Loss

The Cast of My Brain

By Vicki Sue Parker

 Today I will wear
My injury
Like a broken bone,
So everyone can
See my brain
Limp.
Hobbling around,
Unwrapping my pain,
I will wear
The crutches
Of their compassion;
My wound will
Answer for itself,
And no one need guess
What is wrong.

Today I will
Wear my injury
Like a tired cloak;
Sheltering unknowns,
I huddle my fears
Under a soft shawl,
And shield myself
Against the elements
Of my life:
Clutching the corner
Of my shadow,
I lift up
Just enough light
To look at
What I cannot face.

Today I will
Wear my injury
Tucked under all one
Believes they can hide.
A mask parading
The streets of Mardi Gras,
I will become a deception
Blending into a crowd
Of normality;
I can be New Orleans
Before sunrise,
Just to own what is average:
I have earned the right
To be unworthy
Of a second glance.

Today I will
Wear my injury
Like a crown;
Gathering up the threads
Of what I still am,
I will weave myself
Into a Mosaic.
I am a tall pile
Of jewels,
Using the wealth
Of my Soul
To inlay the path
Of my survival:
I am a pinnacle
Reached.

Today I will wear
My injury
As a wound:

Eliciting an earned sympathy,
Sinking under its own weight,
Not subjected to a stare,
Serving as a city conquered.

7/18/2004

For more information, see: 

The Get Well Soon Balloon

By Vicki Sue Parker and Susan Beebe, illustrator

Story book helps children understand their emotions and reactions when a parent has a brain injury. Describes coma, rehabilitation, coming home, and therapy from a child’s perspective. Recommended for families of injured veterans and service members.