Chemo: A Walk into the Jungle

©2024 Susan Noyes Anderson

AI generated image

It’s good, sometimes, to recognize
your fear and give it space,
to realize what’s eating you
so you can give it grace –
to walk into the jungle’s lair
with eyes wide open, knowing
that crocs and cobras watch and wait,
while jaguar eyes are glowing.

You pause to take a breath, stride forward,
brave the wild to save a life,
eat the herbs and drink the venom,
earn your spot beneath the knife.
Be diced, sliced, and reconstructed,
sewn up with a jungle spell –
then as the drums pound in your heart,
swill more vile brews to make you well.

This chemo jungle’s primitive,
uncivilized, and savage.
But it has power to lift and heal
beyond its power to ravage.
It’s good, sometimes, to recognize
your fear and give it space,
to frame in words what’s eating you
and give yourself some grace.

This chemo is refiner’s fire –
my slap in cancer’s face.

I’m giving us both grace.

∞∞∞

If this poem resonates with you, you might also relate to Flight to Freedom and Say Oncology.

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