A Poem About Ownership
I am a Cancer Survivor.
I will plant these words everywhere
with strong roots so that they
will flower even in the most unlikely places.
These words will no longer just dwell
to the point of suffocation.
These are words that I have never said.
But I have felt them burning a hole
on the tip of my tongue.
And yes, you will be able to taste them
as they swirl around the inside of your mouth.
These are the words that have vibrated
like thunder pounding in my brain.
So yes, they will invade and crash
the armor of your soul.
These words will pierce your heart
and yes, you will be able to feel them
tickle your veins and arteries.
They will press hard against any fabric
to end up under your skin.
You will have to read them over
and over again because you will not be able
to understand me until you suck in my words
and spit them out again.
You are a Cancer Survivor.
So, I can leave this page now
because there is nothing left to write.
But ah! Now I am empty of the haunting madness!
So yes, this poem does belong to you now.
Roots
I am watching your petals reach out as
they touch the sky to feel the sun upon your shoulders.
I have flowered and bloomed many times in my lifetime
with numerous hues of sadness and joy.
But this morning I sit and wonder as I write these words,
“Have my roots been damaged
or are they just resting under the dirt for a while
waiting to find direction?”
But suddenly I realize that I cannot stop
these roots from spreading their knobby toes
just as I cannot stop all these swollen words
from bouncing off this page.
And somewhere within them, a poem blooms
And I reach out to touch the sky.
This post was written and submitted by Rochelle Rofey-Colón. The article reflects the views of Rofey-Colón and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.
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