I wrote a lot of poetry in high school, but stopped abruptly in October 1999. A poem was criticize harshly and I took it badly. I didn't start writing again until December 2015. Oh, I tried. But the words just wouldn't come. I was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's in June of 2013 at the age of 37. I had been experiencing symptoms long enough that it was quite evident that was the diagnosis. Subsequently I have been diagnosed with Raynaud's in August of 2014 and fibromyalgia in February of 2016. I also have chronic pain from a rollover car accident which occurred December of 2004. For me poetry is a catharsis, a way to cope with emotions.