Blood Lines

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Decision Time

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Decision Time

Blood Poem 27

Juliet Robertson
Sep 27, 2022
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Decision Time

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The sky and clouds that I can see

Truly, deeply, matter to me

Gazing into the stratosphere

I’m calmed by patterns that appear

Shifting, shaping the sky transforms

Miracles have infinite forms


The heat of the sun on the ground

Impacts water states all around

Causing an upward flow of air

That is an intimate affair

Water vapour’s a dance of love

Between earth below and sky above


Thunderclouds hang densely proud

Electric storms are heard so loud

And drops fall like tears from the sky

Changing the landscape from up high

Lightning strikes releasing tension

Sparks ideas, creates invention


Like a white cloud, my heart’s no fear

Like distant blue sky my mind’s clear

Decision made I patiently wait

Praying for a positive fate

Because it wasn’t a cure I chose

How long I will live no-one knows

This poem is based upon William Wordworth’s poem, “Daffodils”. I found the structure deceptively complicated but learned the joy of 8-syllable lines and rhymes. I finished writing this after several days of deciding whether or not to have a stem cell transplant. My thanks go to all family, friends and health care staff who supported me to make this very difficult decision.

Flynne’s Barn is a place where young people living with cancer can come together and find connection in beautiful surroundings and provides a range of immersive outdoor and creative experiences. I am sharing one poem per day during September 2022 to raise money for this charity. To DONATE, visit my GO FUND ME page. Many thanks.

Leukaemia Cancer Society has the most amazing grassroots start in the London Greek Cypriot community responding to the call from a parent whose child had Leukaemia. “We provide wrap around support to patients with any of the blood cancers. We step in quickly to give practical help and advice and provide long term support to survivors. We can make quick decisions and offer financial support when there are no other options. We help with accommodation and travel costs for patients from outside London, we provide a helpline and free or low-cost counselling. We help to find bone marrow donors by running targeted publicity campaigns targeted at people who share the patient’s heritage. We support the work of the AML Research Unit at Cardiff University through grants.”

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