On a scale from one to ten
A voice from the far end of a tunnel said
The distant sense of an ambulance beneath me
My narrowed vision forming the passage between reality and me.
Where one is no pain at all
The rasping sound of the gas regulator
Rattled abruptly amidst this angelic voice addressing me
My disjointed shoulder pain becoming equally detached.
And ten is the worst pain you’ve experienced
I broke off from inhaling the intoxicating vapour
“I know you’re talking to me but I can’t understand you”
I shouted down the damp, echoing walls.
I think you’ve had enough of that
The gas & air prised from my grasp
But the Angel’s words remained deep in mind
We all experience pain
And yet the maximums we are exposed to are different.
“That which you survive makes you stronger”
Trumpets another glib “best life” Insta post
People like ignoring pain through bravado
Boxing it up under the bed to try & ignore.
“That which you survive resets your max”
Should better explain the body blows we absorb
And so whilst others may endure worse than us
Be compassionate with yourself and others.
That your maximum is yours alone
The compass to plot comparison
It is not a yard-stick to belittle others
But a reminder of all the storms we’ve sailed.
The scale from one to ten is not universal.
Pain is.
It’s a universal teacher.
If we listen to it.
Hold it.
Don’t box it.
Own it.
You’ve earned that right.
Jonathan Relf
