Back up - don't come any closer to me

Don't give me that look of pity, don't even

Touch me - for if you do, you'll feel the

Pain and sadness I feel, every hour

Of every day and you won't be able

To handle it-

It will throw you to your knees and

You'll gasp for air - reaching for the invisible

Arms that hold on to you

And when you reach to push it off of you

It will be as though nothing is there

You will realize it's all in your head

And it will dawn on you

That this is how I live

An invisible illness

Following me around

You'll ask me how I am able to survive

I will simply shrug and say

"I don't"