"I'm a bit... sore."

After a charmed two years without treatment and nothing worse than bad period pains and dyschezia, the pain is starting to return. Very slowly, imperceptibly, month by month. Is it  getting worse? And a few months later... It's definitely worse than last month.  And a month later... This is definitely worse. I call it subtle and imperceptible, but I've dropped to the floor in front of my partner when the pain attacked without warning and in privacy screamed out loud. I scrabble to put two coffees down as the pain starts, otherwise I'll drop them. I hate people knowing I'm in pain, but I have to tell my writing students, because I need to sit down while I explain something to them. And I realised, I say to people, "I'm a bit... sore."  But only me and my partner know what that actually means.

“I’m a bit… sore”

In chronic pain, you stop displaying
as you ought.
your nerves report: still the same
excruciating pain, again.

you ought to crumple, double, howl
but instead
your mind goes dead: a trial:
meanwhile, you stiffen, slightly, smile.

the pain will pass, or, it will last, and
all your will
can only still literal screams:
such pain long since exceeds your means

to respond, as you ought,
to what your nerves report