Rachel Brace Poetry

I have spent so long being aggressively secretive about my chronic migraines. Sharing the low days and the fears felt too vulnerable, too much. At first the secrecy originated from a kind of shame, a sense that I was not whole, that my body did not work right. As the migraines progressed, talking about exactly what I was going through made it feel more real than I could handle.

I never saw my experiences represented around me. I felt alone and afraid, with no guidance of what my life could or would look like. No one should ever have to feel that way. So I have decided to start oversharing my own experiences, in the hope that someone somewhere will see it and feel a little less alone. 

Whether you are here to see experiences similar to your own represented or simply to gain an understanding of what living with chronic pain is like – welcome. 

Here you will find poems about my experiences with migraines, as well a few essays. #rachelbracepoetry and #rachelbraceessays

As Carrie Fisher so wisely said, “Take your broken heart, make it into art”.

The Good, The Bad, and All the Rest - Rachel Brace

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Pretty Bauble - Rachel Brace

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Every year when the apples

Grow ripe and plump,

Dangling from branches

Weighed down by their small treasures -

I know that Autumn is here.

Autumn, the time of apples.

Apples on trees, on the ground,

Apples plucked and placed

Into bags to be brought in.

Apples on our kitchen table,

With and without peel,

One pile slowly migrating to the other.

Apples cut into pieces,

Placed into a pot on the stove

With cinnamon and sugar.

Brought to a boil and cooked

Until ready for blending.

After their long journey

From tree to table,

There is applesauce.

Jars filling my counters

Waiting for canning,

The smell of cinnamon

Going Away - Rachel Brace

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Gather All These Cruel Beauties - Rachel Brace

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Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving - Rachel Brace

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Savior Wrapped in Yarn - Rachel Brace

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Little Beauties - Rachel Brace

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Bloom and Grow - Rachel Brace

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Loud in Silence, Soft in the Air - Rachel Brace

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Blood Tells - Rachel Brace

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Burble, Bubble, Crash, and Swirl - Rachel Brace

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My Taskmaster - Rachel Brace

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Balancing the Scales of History and Truth - Rachel Brace

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Luckless Lucky - Rachel Brace

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Poetic Injustice - Rachel Brace

The history of Central Park in NYC reads like an ironic tragedy, with similar events echoing across history in distorted, mirrored ways. It is as fascinating to learn about as it is sad.

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