CANCER:
I have wars waged upon me and walks staged against me.
You try to blame me and shame me for doing my job,
But maybe you should look at why I arrived.
You accuse genetics or food for giving you this curse,
But it is not what you put in your mouth
but what didn’t come out that was worse.
You invited me in, asked me to stay,
By burying your feelings and the things you wanted to say.
The hate that you ate was your true poison.
And your only way out it to learn to be open.
I have no malice or motive, a villain I am not.
If you look deep within, you will realize this is a gift I have brought.
Life is too short and you are doing it all wrong.
The fastest way to fix it is for me to come along.
I am a teacher and I give you a present more precious than life,
The reminder that you have caused your very own strife.
I do not break families apart but I bring them together.
I show you that the weak are strong
And to be vulnerable is better.
All that glitters is not gold
Your youth, hair, and breast will all get old.
You have put value in an asset with diminishing returns,
And I will make sure that all of it burns.
Out of the ashes true beauty will grow,
And LOVE is the only word you will need to know.
I pray one day you will truly forgive,
Because that is the moment you will begin to live.
I composed this poem from Cancer's point of view for my one woman show, I Don't Have Cancer, during chemo treatments for breast cancer.