Dr Eric Moss

Nighttime Conversations Dr Eric Moss

Nearly four years ago my toes began to turn black and ache. I was given a diagnosis of gangrene. The pain grew worse, and it became nearly impossible to walk. I could no longer focus on my work as a clinical psychologist and had to stop meeting with people. Most difficult were the nighttimes. It became impossible to lie in bed. I tried to find positions in which the pain was less: a foot hanging over the side of the bed, sleeping in a sitting position in a TV chair. These changes helped me sleep an hour or two, but then I would wake up moaning and groaning. To help pass the nights I began writing, something I have always enjoyed. But, I quickly found I no longer had the patience for prose, so I tried something new: poetry. I would write down the thoughts that had come came to mind during the day and then make alterations, putting them into brief, rhyming (in most cases) verse Soon, I was having lyrical conversations with myself, and it became easier to get through the nights.