A Stroke of Poetry

A Stroke of Poetry is a collection of 30 poems, written by a stroke survivor during her recovery. This collection chronicles the frustrations, the sadness and the amusing times that are part of the climb back from stroke. They may make you smile, they may make you sad but hopefully they will make you believe that anything is possible if you keep a positive mindset. Recovery from stroke can involve emotional, physical and creative healing. For Shelagh, poetry was an outlet that allowed her to record her journey back from the edge. Make your own way through these pages to find ideas, inspiration and the understanding that you are not alone. - Amusing poems about forgetfulness and frustration; - Poignant stories of the battle with depression and fatigue, - Creative colouring pages to soothe the soul, - Inspirational quotes to keep you moving. About the Author: I was a busy wife and mum, working as an independent Private Investigator. This was my retirement job, having previously served 25 years as a UK Police Officer. On 15 April 2013, I suffered a stroke and my whole life changed. I am now what many people refer to as a ‘stroke survivor’. However, I am much more than my condition. My name is Shelagh and I live in Queensland, Australia with my lovely husband David and son Patrick. I was lucky enough to be left with no physical disability after the initial problems of loss of speech, and loss of feeling in my right side, dissipated. I still suffer from daily fatigue, but know I got off lightly. Post stroke, I discovered my brain had changed. It seemed to function well in rhyme and most of my thoughts could not be processed unless the end of each sentence rhymed. I began to write down my thoughts and emotions in the form of poetry and soon learnt these feelings were not just experienced by me, but are shared by many stroke survivors. These poems are about my day to day experiences; the thoughts, struggles and triumphs of my recovery as a stroke survivor. They are set out chronologically, following my journey through times of despair and depression, back to a normal life. The stroke recovery was a roller coaster of mixed emotions but being able to document in poetry even the darkest moments kept me motivated and gave me a will to carry on. Please enjoy my poems as much as I have enjoyed writing them. If you are reading as a stroke survivor, or on behalf of a loved one, I trust they give you some hope and positivity, helping you through the day with the knowledge you are not alone.