...writes Joe Logue.
There is a power in me that awakens when I hold a pen, and that power might very well be the only reason I’m still here.
I live with Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease, and I’ve struggled with my mental health. I’ve long been trying to balance what I want to do against what my body allows. I live with the knowledge of a future where I’ll no longer be able to stand.When things get hard, I find myself compelled to write. It’s a way to make sense of my thoughts, relationships, and myself. Last year, I had a few sessions with a clinical psychologist who told me, “It sounds like writing is keeping you alive.”And you know what? He was right.
Twelve years ago, I had just become a dad, my mobility was getting worse, and I somehow got it into my head that it would be better for everyone if I wasn’t here. After suffering in silence for the longest time, I opened up to my family and thankfully found the support I needed. I became compelled to write more than ever, as writing provided an outlet for my thoughts, a way to make sense of my emotions, and ultimately a method to create something from my pain. This experience proved to be a recurring theme in my writing from then on.
When I first started performing at open mic nights and poetry slams across Glasgow, I would only do humorous poems. Comedic poems are unique in that you’re guaranteed immediate feedback—if you get a laugh, it’s working.I started to gain a reputation for being “the funny poet,” but I wanted to show a deeper side. I changed my approach, and I now find greater value in one person telling me my poems resonate with them than in a whole room of people laughing at my funny poems.Sharing poems like Contributions and Body connected me with others who face similar struggles, and that’s beautiful.
Opening up about my darkest thoughts and shining a light on subjects others are afraid to address has helped me considerably. It even put me in contact with a musician known as David & The Devil, who also happens to have Muscular Dystrophy.
Our shared disability brought us together as friends and inspired a musical collaboration on a track we’ve called The Light. Our song will feature on the EP Muscular Dystrophy Blues, available on streaming services on September 13th.We’ve chosen this date to coincide with Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month and my 40th birthday, a birthday I get to celebrate with my family because I sought help when I needed it most.I’m happy to say that I no longer have those suicidal thoughts. I now see there’s purpose in pain, there is a reason we’re here and, even though it may feel that way, we are not alone.
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