I recently went though my first round of chemotherapy for Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (lymphoma), and I was prepared to dump on the world six pages of my experience and disparity. I decided no one wants to read that much content. Instead, I wrote a poem that reflects my feelings on the chemotherapy process. Cancer sucks. No doubt about it.
Seventeen Days Since My Veins Were Filled with Poison
Seventeen days
Since my veins were filled
With
Poison.
Funny how you need
Poison
to kill
poison.
Chemotherapy –
The Mother
Of all
Duckers.
Thirst,
Sweat,
Heart palpitating,
Throat closing,
Vomiting,
Gut wrenching,
Belly swollen,
Cracked lips,
Crashing,
Unrecognizable
Self….
Hopeless,
Tears,
Zombie skin,
Sunken eyes,
Anxious,
Dehydrated,
No taste.
Lifeless.
Crawling back
To reality….
Slowly,
Steadily.
A magenta-hued sky
over a bronze meadow,
The soft brush
of a cat’s whiskers,
The aroma of a caramel-scented
sugar cookie candle,
The gaze of a
saw whet owl
penetrating your soul,
The Snoopy and Woodstock
animated mailbox –
These are the medicines
of life…
