Too Young

People say I’m too young to be old

But my muscles are weak

And my joints are stiff

It takes an hour to get out of bed

And some days I limp

People say I’m too young to be tired

But I struggle to sleep

And I can’t stay awake

I am chronically drained of energy

And I can’t focus

People say I’m too young to forget

But my brain doesn’t work

And I can’t remember

I struggle to think of the right words

And so I don’t speak

People say I’m too young to stress

But illness takes over

And my brain will not stop

It will mull over the slightest thing

And it won’t shut off

People say I’m too young to be ill

But it wasn’t my choice

And I cannot help it

I wish I wasn’t chronically ill

And perhaps one day…