There’s No Before Cancer

There's No Before Cancer

Surgery or chemo does not
mark the beginning
of the fight against cancer.

Human immune systems routinely
eliminate up to a million
traitorous cancer cells
everyday.

You have always been fighting cancer
and, up until recently,
winning. But now
reinforcements are called for,
bring out the heavy guns, and hope
for good targeting and little
collateral damage.

After they declare
"Mission Acomplished,"
thank them,
thank your body too
as it continues solo,
the fight against cancer.

First published in Illya’s Honey, Summer 2017 issue, #25. To reach, go to the Website, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the Summer 2016 (typo) link. Again scroll down to #25 and click. Illya’s Honey is a Russian folktale about a miraculous healing potion.

I long thought cancer somehow managed to hide from your immune system. I mean, they are your cells, right? Turns out not to be the case. So I wrote this poem, probably for myself and maybe other cancer survivors. There are a lot of cancer survivors. 40% of the US population will have cancer sometime in their life.