breast cancer

The Follow-up (NaPoWriMo Day 22)

/ Karin Wiberg / 7 Comments

You’re doing great.
I am really happy with your progress. But
there were those two positive nodes,
so we didn’t quite get clean margins.
We really like clean margins.
Everything else looks good though, except
those margins. Just to be safe
I think we should do a PET scan.
I don’t expect to find anything.
I don’t expect anything to light up.
But just in case.
Just in case anything does light up.
And assuming nothing lights up
then we’ll just go ahead with the radiation
because that will help make sure
we really got it.
Make sure it doesn’t come back.
Maybe even cure you.
At least for a few years. You’ll be fine.
Most people tolerate it really well.
Just a little fatigue.
And redness—like a sunburn.
That’s usually it. Though
you could get nauseated.
But that’s uncommon.
I think you will be just fine.
As soon as we get that PET scan.

***

Today’s prompt from Poetic Asides was to write an optimistic and/or pessimistic poem. I think I have both duly covered.

Some Things That Stay (NaPoWriMo Day 1)

/ Karin Wiberg / 3 Comments

Is this the beginning of the end—or did we already
miss that? We take for granted
the weight of two worlds.
I wanted to lose a few pounds,
but that wasn’t what I meant.
We must bear it—undignified
discussion of lumps and disfigurement.
We must bare it—undignified
exposure to cold gel and needles.
Then, on that day, we bare it and bear it once more.
After, we come home to photos and flowers
and vases waiting to be filled.

Some Things That Stay by Debra Wuliger

Some Things That Stay by Debra Wuliger

***

Here it is April again–National Poetry Month and National Poetry Writing Month. The challenge is a poem a day. Various sites offer prompts. Today’s poem was inspired by Poetic Asides (write a beginning and/or ending poem) and The Music In It (“taken for granted”), as well as Deb’s lovely painting, which happens to remind me of a friend.