Decision Time
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.”
