Tessera

brokenwingpoet

@brokenwingpoet.bsky.social

Poet. Writing on disability & eco justice. Bedbound with Long COVID and Severe ME. 🍉 🇵🇸 🌲 🐦 😷 My first first poetry book, WILDNESS UNAFRAID (Kelsay Books, 2026) is out now! Available at multiple book stores below: https://linktr.ee/Brokenwingpoet

54 Posts164 Follower 163 Folgt

#MEAction Network @meactnet.bsky.social · 2mo ago

We were asked to share this fundraiser for a #pwME. Tim needs help paying for treatments and the specialized transport needed to receive the treatment #SevereME #MECFS #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #MutualAid Please see our policy here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

brokenwingpoet@brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 2mo ago

For 8 years, I worked as a civil rights attorney. After one COVID infection, I’ve spent the past 3.5 years bedbound with ME. We need help paying for two upcoming treatments. These are my last, best chance at getting my life back. You can read more: gofund.me/43edfb712

A man smiling in a green suit, with a forest in the background. Another photo of the same man smiling on a sunny day with mountains in the background.
Another photo of the same man with his wife, dancing with dappled light in the background.

#MEAction Network @meactnet.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Attention caregivers! You are invited to join our ME Caregivers Support Call on the 3rd Saturday of the month- June 20th at 1:30 pm ET. All caregivers of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), Long COVID, and associated conditions are welcome! https://ow.ly/eeGO50ZcvKN #Caregiver #MECFS

Two hands (one set of hands is brown and the single hand they are clasping is deep brown) gently clasped together symbolizing support. Text: ME caregivers support call 3rd Saturday of the month 1:30 to 3:30 pm ET. For caregivers of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), Long COVID, and associated conditions. https://www.meaction.net/event-list

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Sean Mullen, Ph.D.@drseanmullen.bsky.social · 2mo ago

We tolerate indoor air in 2026 that would have horrified sanitation engineers in 1926. We just don’t see what’s killing us.

emily fraser 🌿🐌✨@emilyesfraser.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Tens of millions of people around the world are in this situation, & most with far fewer privileges than the “best case scenario.” Myalgic Encephalomyelitis rates increased 15x due to Covid. When the government says Covid is mild, remember they’re not footing the bill.

Pillow Writers @pillowwriters.bsky.social · 3mo ago

#MECFS Stop and give us a wave if like us you’re reading this in bed. ME/CFS awareness day is heartbreaking. So many of us alone and isolated. We send our 🩵 to you all.

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This poem speaks to the immense losses and grief of ME and Long COVID, that all but snuff out last embers of dreams. And to dreams still faintly burning. #MECFS #LongCovid #pwME #poetry #disabledpoet #millionsmissing #bedbound

ID: Missing

I know most of me has gone
missing. I feel parts of me slip
beyond my grasp each day.
Brain fog cuts sentences
to confused silences.

But I am still here. Even if
some days just faintly
breathing behind a thin cage
of skin, waiting, dreaming,
dreaming of being me, again.]

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This poem from Wildness Unafraid is to the many animals who die at the hands of capitalism, often ignored or unnoticed, but with a family waiting for the return that will never come home. #wildnessunafraid #capitalismkills #ecopoetry #crows #poetry #naturepoetry

Crow Funeral
Taking out the trash one morning,
I see a mound of black feathers
and a sharp beak pointed downwards,
claws limp on the ground,
in the grass just by the street.
Above them, a telephone pole wire.
On the ground, surrounding
the fallen bird, a dozen or so crows
all cawing loudly, calling
with their whole bodies bobbing,
a cacophony of sound
spiraling upwards.
I stood transfixed.
Unsure what I was witnessing
I came to sense my presence
may be a disturbance.
After a few moments,
I let them be. And I thought
to myself as I walked
slowly away, that at least
even in death,
the fallen crow
was not alone.

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 3mo ago

PEM hell, Day 2: caused by smallest overexertion. Feels so similar to the day after a concussion that it haunts me. No stimulation. No exertion. Just lay in the dark. Nauseous. Dazed. Shattered all over again. Must tread lightly on the way back. And watch each step. #LongCovid #PEM #pwME #MECFS

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 4mo ago

A sneak peak at the name sake poem. This collection seeks to not only honor all living beings with admiration, but to protect them from the parts of ourselves that endanger them. Buy your copy of Wildness Unafraid - link in bio! #ecopoetry #wildnessunafraid #poetry #poems #climatecrisis #poem

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 4mo ago

From the back cover book reviews, thank you to Dr. Margaret Noodin, Khairani Barokka, and @aaronlelito for the generous praise of Wildness Unafraid. Your words spark life and curiosity into the book, and are very much appreciated. #ecopoetry #poetry #margaretnoodin #wildnessunafraid #poems

A cream colored back cover of a book with books reviews:

“In Wildness Unafraid, Tim Murphy sows seeds that will grow in those souls who listen . . . and in the winds beyond reach of human ways. Murphy offers lessons on being wholly present and connected to the edge of the water, the hunt of the heron, the critique of crows, the anxiety of squirrels and the relationship geese maintain with the sky. He doesn’t write about nature, he writes for nature, and that is the difference which makes his work worth reading.”

— Maragaret Noodin, Professor in English and American Indian studies at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukie, and author of What the Chickadee Knows

“Tim Murphy’s poems are thoughtful meditations on the wisdoms and beauties of the natural world, ‘of the many lives beyond our own / always unfolding, always near.’ Probing at any false ideals of colonial human superiority, of the ableism many humans cling to, and expanding on the complexities of the non-human with a quiet, measured touch—as the reader spends slow time with Murphy’s verse, ‘a knowing grows.’”

— Khairani Barokka, author of Ultimatum Orangutan andIndigenous Species

“Tim Murphy’s poems occupy the quiet places within our lives — the crows that “nose
through our trash,” the crickets’ call that “reminds us we’re not alone.” In this collection, Murphy pursues the multitude of connection points between the more-than-human world and our 21st century artifices. ‘I think of the many / cages we forge / from beauty / that ensnare / more than just us.’ These poems show the author’s deep appreciation for our humanity, even in an era of environmental crisis.”

— Aaron Lelito, Editor in Chief of Wild Roof Journal

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 4mo ago

My new poetry collection, Wildness Unafraid, is officially out! Can buy on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Kelsay Books. It tracks the beauty and wonder of the world in the age of climate crisis. #poetry #ecopetry #naturepoetry #poems

[ID: A dark blue book cover that reads Wildness Unafraid at top. A picture of a Raven watching a beautiful orange and purple sunrise from a tree perch with stars and the moon still in sight. At the bottom of the book cover it says poems and Tim Murphy].

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Three years bedbound. #pwme #mecfs #longcovid #severeme #chronicillness

ID: Bedbound Anniversary

The longest three years of my life.
Feels like a life age. It’s been nearly
1,100 days. Roughly 26,000 hours,
1.5 million minutes, 94 million seconds.

94 million seconds, and counting, ticking
off my life spent in one ever-dark room,
save a few hours, when curtains part slightly
to remember the outside world does exist.

The pain and loneliness of such a miniscule
existence stacks higher upon me each day.
The only thing I know from confinement
is this: even if I improve enough to
leave this cavernous life behind,
it will follow me wherever I go.
I will always be within reach
of its long-armed shadow.
I will never be the same.

C.H. Romatowski @chromatowski.bsky.social · 8mo ago

For my fellow very severely affected members of #NEISvoid, I appreciated seeing this today; maybe you will too.

Tweet from a tired human @saffronandsky

If you are ever hard on yourself for not being able to manage very severe ME or long covid better remember this, you are enduring one of the most difficult things a human can experience. Maybe not *the* most, for there are many terrible things, but to be sure, one of the most difficult.

3:04 PM • Dec 11, 2025 • 237 Views

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Excited to reveal the cover for my poetry book, Wildness Unafraid! Tentatively set to be released this spring. #poetry #naturepoetry #ecopoetry Artwork by @cranesuperior

[ID: A dark blue book cover that reads Wildness Unafraid at top. A picture of a Raven watching a sunrise from a tree with stars and the moon still in sight. At the bottom of the book cover it says poems and Tim Murphy].

Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 10mo ago

Long Covid Is Real — And It’s Changing an Entire Generation Hundreds of thousands of kids in America are struggling with an illness that many doctors and schools refuse to recognize.e Feature: www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 10mo ago

A poem for a season that better matches my mood and life. #LongCovid #mecfs #pwme

Welcome Autumn

Birdless skies become
but another ceiling just painted
blue, or mostly gray, come autumn.
The change of seasons noticed
by the shift in pitch of darkness.
Fall gives an excuse to do
what I always do, sit
with a blanket in bed, hoping
this will not be forever,
but this time with a softness
that holds me, that follows
this restful time of year,
the kind of softness I yearn for
in summer but rarely find
in its unrelenting bright, hot days.

Epistemic Literary- Read Issue 8: Righteous Rage now!@epistemiclit.bsky.social · 11mo ago

More awards! Congratulations to our @genrepunkmag.bsky.social awards nominees! @haleydirenzo.bsky.social @jameslilliefors.bsky.social @gretchenfilart.bsky.social Allison Zaczynski @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social Arti Jain Chelsea Allen Mac Carey Luis Lopez Galan

GENREPUNK AWARD NOMINATIONS

EDITOR'S CHOICE
HALEY DIRENZO | UPENDING THE GARDEN
JAMES LILLIEFORS | THERE WILL BE WARNINGS
GRETCHEN FILART | GARDENING DURING A DEPRESSIVE EPISODE

DISABLED CREATIVES
ALLISON ZACZYNSKI | ISOLATION
TIM MURPHY | FOR THESE BRIEF MOMENTS

WILDCARD
ARTI JAIN | OF SONGS, THRESHOLDS, AND SLIPPERS

HAUNTING
CHELSEA ALLEN | SMOKE TRAILS
MAC CAREY | LAST LIGHT
LUIS LOPEZ GALAN | DIGNITY

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Today is Severe ME Day. A poem imagining a world free of the ableism that compounds the trauma of this dreaded illness. #SevereMEday #pwME #MECFS #SevereME #ableism #bedbound

Like a Fallen Feather

What if the ableism
heaped higher
the sicker we become,
figments of a
poisoned imagination
suffocating our own,
this anchor of shame
not ours to carry,
what if
– for even just this moment –
we released it completely?

What if we could hold
the disabled parts of ourselves
in our own two hands
the way one holds a fallen feather?

Its soft, delicate lightness
born on this wing to rise or
when wounded to rest
in the warm shelter of the nest
as long as need be, dreaming
of the demise of a culture
that wishes, quickens our own,
reborn as a community of care,
where pain is seen and tended,
not hidden and held alone,
where the body is not a tool
but a keeper of wisdom
not meant to die
untold, unheard.

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · last yr.

A poem about the simplicity of life that I miss. #longcovid #mecfs #severeme #bedbound #millionsmissing #grief #covidisnotover #loss #chronicillness #chronicillnesscommunity #poetry #poetrycommunity

[ID: Calculating

I’m so tired of calculating.
Whether I can walk across
a room or to the doorway
to smell fresh air
for the first time in days,
to feel summer on my face.
Whether I can listen
to five minutes of an audiobook
without drowning in malaise.

I’m so tired of calculating
every thought. Should I even
be writing a poem right now?
Shouldn’t I be resting
in silent darkness? I spend
most of my ever-drained battery
on medical appointments,
fighting insurance companies,
trialing new drugs and riding
waves of side effects.

I’m so tired of calculating
just to ration for small, fleeting
moments, moments that sometimes
resemble joy. Like the butterfly
dancing with wind out my window,
or the finch singing
unseen in a nearby tree.
I’m so tired of calculating.
I miss the luxury of living.]

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · last yr.

The genocide and forced starvation in Gaza is indefensible. It’s ethnic cleansing in plain view. #freepalestine #endthegenocide @bobbylefebre.bsky.social

Israel is starving Gaza.

Line is repeated over and over again on an off white colored background, in typewriter font.

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · last yr.

Long COVID anniversary on our anniversary. A day of grief with shadows of joy. The impossible lives disabled people are expected to live. #LongCOVID #MECFS #severeME #beebound #poetry #grief

[ID: What If

What if the happiest day of your life melted,
dissolved backwards in time to become
the day from which you may never recover?

What if the moment that was yours became
a kettle left on the burner too long,
too hot for memory to touch?

What if we lived in a world where disabilities
were honored before doubted? Where those
most sick were protected by those closest to them?

Instead, I lie in bed, think the same thought
that has no beginning nor end.
Just a breath I took one day
I’ll never know which one.
Just a breath I took one day
given to me by someone.]

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · last yr.

New poem in Bed Zine. The loss of meaningful connection to nature is amongst the cruelest parts of this illness. #LongCovid #MECFS #Bedbound #SevereME

[ID: A poem titled “Severed”

Severed
Exiled
by a living
death disease,
to a bed
where trees
go unseen,
waves of wind
unfelt,
birdsong
unheard.
Even silence rings
in my ears
like howling
grief echoes
in this cave
so dark
I mistake
its walls
for skin.]

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · last yr.

I’m excited to announce my debut poetry collection, “Wildness Unafraid,” has been accepted for publication! I’ll post more details as the release date gets closer. #poetry #ecopoetry #poetrycommunity #ecojustice

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · last yr.

On this M.E. Awareness Day, too tired to type more than these words. #mecfs #pwme #millionsmissing #meawarenessday #mecfsawareness

ID: Poem titled “M.E. Awareness Day”

The living death disease saps
all life but keeps you living,
wanting, longing for the life
that was but is no more, yearning
at least for a life, for a life
that feels like you’re alive again,
like there is something beyond
this boundless sea and its
wave after wave of suffering.

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · last yr.

A new poem in @hootreview about the constant, unwinding grief and loss of being indefinitely ill during a pandemic so few still observe. #LongCovid #chronicillness #grief #mecfs #pwme

[ID: A poem titled “Unhurried”

Grieve
as the snail slides
unhurried
yet everywhere
they must reach
they find.

Grieve
as the snail glides
unbothered
by expectations of time
their pace as protective
as their shell.

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · last yr.

A poem about surviving this torturous illness — by protecting dreams, finding our voice, and maintaining whatever connection we can to the outer world. #LongCovid #pwME #MECFS #SevereME #disability #poem #poetry

How Sparrows Sing

Even bedbound
and splintered
I know I can’t stay
hidden forever.

I have little choice
even if unseen
must find again
my voice

and remember
remember how
sparrows sing
through coldest

heart of winter
as we dream
through darkest
hours of night.

brokenwingpoet @brokenwingpoet.bsky.social · last yr.

The air we’re forced to share, poisoned by privilege. #LongCovid #MECFS #pwME #SevereME #ableism #millionsmissing #Covidisntover

ID: A poem titled “poisoned”

Disabled.
You can say it.
Not a poison word.
But we do live in ableds’
poisoned world.

Miles W. Griffis @mileswgriffis.bsky.social · last yr.

"The Severe....recognize the depths of the pit of horror that the Very Severe may find themselves stuck in...yet by leaning over to lend a hand, we risk falling further into the quicksand ourselves." Vital op-ed by Sam Pearce in @thesicktimes.bsky.social thesicktimes.org/2025/04/04/a...

An international emergency task force is urgently needed for Severe Long COVID and ME crisis cases - The Sick Times

Without one, Severe advocates are putting themselves at risk. It’s time for advocacy organizations to step up. Writer’s note: In this essay, I deliberately capitalize different categories of ME in ord...

thesicktimes.org