this is not a poem about me
I’ve written much about myself
and my feelings
nor is it about my leukaemia
the ups and downs of this illness
it’s also not about how I view the world
through a health lens
listening to the experiences
of others with a similar diagnosis
stroking our sensitive egos
comparing notes about how to live well
neither is it about blood counts or tests
the waxy remnant taste
of too much chemo
it is a poem about normality
like holidays, meeting old friends and
drinking coffee in the park
This poem I wrote as part of a Foundation Poetry Course offered by The Poetry Kit. It was helpful to stretch me out of my comfort zone and to get me exploring a wide range of poets and their poems.
September 2023 is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. It is also Child Cancer Awareness Month. Every day 10 children in the UK are diagnosed with cancer. Of those lucky enough to survive, many will have long-term side-effects that may significantly impact their lives forever.
I am posting one poem per day to recognise this and raise money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. This charity provides sailing and other outdoor adventures for children and young people aged 8-24 who have been treated for cancer. But it’s more than that. There’s a package of support around this including siblings, return trips, volunteering opportunities and so on. The Trust also works hard to ensure their work is environmentally sustainable. You can make a donation HERE!
Lovely
This one evokes in a powerful way. The brevity of the fifth stanza (almost haiku like) stands in contrast of the first four that describe a norm that is not normality. It brings to mind a Canadian essay that a doctor wrote as he observed a patient toss a breakfast tray each day against the hospital wall. A norm that was never accepted as normality. Your poem is more gentle, but the images align. It also reminds me of a summer camp in the US with which I have known for many decades. It is for children and their siblings who have all been affected by cancer -- https://specialdays.org/
The founder, a pediatric oncologist, created it and guided it declaring that it should be a place where children could be children. 100%. A place of normality with medical support as needed but no counseling or talk of cancer. Instead just the lyrics (a bit sappy, but so intentional and simple) of the camp song, "There are holidays, birthdays, rest days, and work days, but none beat those special days, days to ride horses in the pasture, take afternoon swims, go on hikes and chase butterflies, play a game of tennis, just run long and hard, none beat those special days, those special days at camp." When I was young and put in charge of programs, a few of us bucked the Dr's liberal philosophy of loose schedules, loose language, and even loose morals when it came to allowing young love to happen . . . but I have grown to understand his wisdom in inviting these children to have a week of normality. Your poem brought all that back to me and filled me up. Grateful for you, Juliet.