Kirstie Sivapalan
It was there the last time she looked. But this time - Nothing. Where the hell did it go? Where did it all go? She stared at the moulded plastic thing on the counter: gleefully orange, punctured with rows of neat little holes in and around its curved bottom. Cauliflower? Something like that but not… Continue reading Drained – a short story for M.E. Awareness Week 2023 (5 min read)
There are three days that exist for me between January and April: my husband's birthday, Imbolc (aka St Bridget's day where I do some hippy crystal-meditationy stuff) and my birthday. The rest of the days are just that: REST. If I do get to do anything outside of these days it's a bonus. I have… Continue reading Mini-Roll 2.0 – What a day this year has been
M.E. Life, politics and social angst The posts below are now an archive. Latest entries for what is now Mini-roll 2.0 can be found here. Each entry is usually no more than 2-3 mins to read. What is a mini-roll? Inspired by the UK "mini" Budget, I'm starting a series of "mini" blog posts about… Continue reading Mini-roll
A Winter Solstice Prayer for the sick Winter Solstice dawn 22 December 2021 Let me streak the sky gold with my fingers thenBreathe in its frosted kiss to quench my lungs.Let the brightening Sun soak through my skinAnd Light be all throughout reflected, returning the forces that nourish my frame.Yet, let the cool of the… Continue reading Return of the Sun
Warning: This post contains my thoughts on vaccine harm following the covid-19 vaccine. It is neither anti nor pro. I remain committed to the protection of public health through social distancing, mask-wearing and immunisation, and I would have a further dose of a vaccine myself if one was provided which does not lead to the… Continue reading Collateral damaged
I couldn't sleep. I had insomnia at both ends of the night, one of the features of M.E that I struggle with the most. I finally gave up around 6am and, with my stomach also awake, I decided to get up, go downstairs, make myself a cup of tea and treat myself to some ginger… Continue reading Treasure
I don't have an invisible disabilty, I have a disability visibly ignored.You might, if you want, see it in my eyes if you look close enough; in my voice, with a keen ear. There's even, sometimes, a smell. Sickly sweet. But yes, there are no obvious signs - no chair nor stick, and likely a… Continue reading Undercurrent
Image reads: THEIR FINAL PERFORMANCE 1.1. Who better than those who profess to know minds to twist our actions? Those that have plundered the void to plug with their confidence (tricks). To keep those of us blighted by secrets locked tight in our cells bombarded by their (un)veiled attacks. To call us the aggressors in their… Continue reading Their Final Performance: ProtestNICE4ME
Image reads: Mission 2021: If my liberty means the incarceration of others, I am not free. If my prosperity means the poverty of others, I have no riches. If my success means the failure of others, I have not achieved. If my wellbeing means the sickness of others, I cannot heal. Until we are all… Continue reading Mission 2021
The Kings Library at the British Library, one of my sacred spaces. Photo: K Sivapalan 2018 Free to use I wrote the poem below twelve days ago now. People with M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) will recognise the play on a familiar term we use in my title - PEM, which is short for Post-Exertional Malaise. This… Continue reading P/o/EM
Writing and M.E. 