In Brief: On the Level: Poems on Living with Multiple Sclerosis

By Bryan R. Monte. Circling Rivers, 2022. 120 pages. $24.99/hardcover; $16.99/paperback.

This first collection from Bryan R. Monte, a Quaker poet living in the Netherlands, shares with its readers many often overlooked or misunderstood aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive, degenerative disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves resulting in nerve damage that disrupts communication between the brain and the body. Monte has been living with MS for over four decades.

With openness and an ability to maintain a humorous perspective, Monte shares his personal experiences through narrative poems that offer an intimate look into life with a disease that remains mostly a puzzle to the medical profession. In “Fall Training” he does not describe what athletes do during the fall season, but instead recounts a session where he, using a gymnastics mat, practices how to literally fall in a way that prevents injury: “You fall backward: twist and roll, / draining the energy that can break bones, / your feet, legs, and buttocks up in the air.”

In addition to describing his struggles with the difficulties and limitations imposed by his body, Monte makes clear his feelings about the many physical obstacles he must confront, such as doors and hallways, curbs, steps, and lifts (as elevators are called in Europe).

Whether Monte is up or down, these poems are on the level: honest stories about navigating life in a wheelchair and the frustrations of living in a society that does not pay enough attention to supporting those who live with disabilities.

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Michael S. Glaser is a former poet laureate of Maryland and a Quaker living in Hillsborough, N.C.