A Very Long Hour

'I just have to keep going, 
survive the next hour, 
but the clock ticks on...' 

Like many people around the globe, I suffer from long Covid. I contracted the virus in October 2020 and have been chronically ill ever since. Throughout this time, I began writing poetry to help me process what I was going through. It is a cruel illness. It wears down every physical and mental barrier you have, then lulls you into a false sense of security as you see marginal improvement, before plunging you back under the waves. It can almost feel personal at times; like it is a malevolent force determined to break you. 

The experience has changed me forever, and I wanted to try to communicate it with others, particularly other long Covid sufferers, as it can be such an isolating illness. I captured my heart, soul and voice in these poems to help tell my story - now I have to set them free.