For colleagues, friends, family and neighbours...

It will come, and it will go
Advancing, retreating, and advancing some more
Mercurial, mysterious, omnipresent
It can arrive slowly, silently
Or come thundering in.

Its presence is felt
Gnawing at your joint linings
Grabbing your muscles, rupturing your tendons
Eroding your ligaments, altering your vocal cords
And, yes, even stealing from your generous heart.

At times, you can be so exhausted, too tired to talk
To listen, to participate, to be a good friend
Sometimes your life is guided
By a disease that claims you for its own
You're there when you're able, when you've had a good rest.

It can drown your dreams
Curtail your ability to work and play
The costs can be huge, lost time - a big price to pay
Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, too
It can change you, make you stronger and more determined, that's true.

If medals were distributed, for effort, perseverance, and energy expended
To accomplish what you might call "regular", "everyday", or "ordinary"
Upon the Olympic podium, you could proudly stand
Claim first, second and third, you deserve a hand
For feats favoured by Heracles, Nike and Proteus.

It will come, and it will go
Advancing, retreating, and advancing some more
Morning, noon, night, can bring drastic changes
You have rheumatoid arthritis
But it won't have you.