#cancer poems on Hello Poetry

Jonathan Moya May 2020

I never thought brick dreams could tumble in the wind.
My wife collects our scattered memories in a undersized bin
like a child on the tide line collecting beach glass and seashells.
She listen for the sound of blood amidst the dying wind
mistaking rustling pages for her breath cycling in and out,
her pulse beating on the surface of paper, cloth and wood.
She searches for artifacts that match/mismatch my cancer-
the progeny the tornado left scattered in the brick and wallboard.

I listen to the wind and rain ping on my ward’s windows
unaware of her scavenging, unable to sleep in the harsh light
that doesn’t erode the pain or the glitter of memory,
the constant Kabuki of nurses, doctor and blood drawers,
the chant of machines that make me mistake
the sterile for the sacred, the soundtrack for the profound.
I see my wife in the mud, inches from my eyes,
putting away the jagged, clear granules of our life.

#beach #glass #cancer #tornado #after #the #storm

Casey Dandy Feb 2013

How ‘bout we color

You open the car door and help me in
You buckle my seat-belt, safe and sound,
As you set my tiny backpack on the ground,
You say:
What do you want to do today?
Go on an adventure-- just you and me?
Watch cartoons on the TV screen?
All that sounds grand,
Every kid’s dream,
But I’d rather take your hand and…
How ‘bout we color?

Then we painted the world as it ought to be:
Pretty pictures with princesses and queens.
Boatloads of crayons;
Everything exactly as it seemed.
I didn’t know loss.
I didn’t know heartache.
I didn’t know cancer would take you away.

I open the car door and hop right in
I buckle my seat-belt, safe and sound,
As I set my purse on the ground,
You say:
What do you want to do today?
Go on an adventure-- a shopping spree?
Watch funny movies on a big screen?
All that sounds grand,
Every young lady’s dream,
But I’d rather take your hand and…
How ‘bout we color?

Then we painted the world as it ought to be:
Pretty pictures with princesses and queens.
Boatloads of crayons;
Everything wasn’t as it seemed.
I learned about loss.
I learned about heartache.
I learned that cancer would take you away.

I wish I could’ve drawn you a cure,
Saved you the pain--
Whipped-up a world
Where it never rains.
I am your princess,
And you, my queen,
And everything is always
Exactly as it seems.
We wouldn't know loss.
We wouldn't know heartache.
We wouldn't know cancer--
Nothing would take you away.

And you would have forever to say:
What do you want to do today?
My answer would remain:
How ‘bout we color?

#cancer #childhood #aunt #grief #love #loss #death #family #growingup

JD May 2020

Geoffrey

As another salty tear falls from my eye
The memory of you so clear

So many moons has passed since I’ve seen you
Yet I never dreamt you would leave this world

You touched my heart with your kindness
You touched my soul with your courage

And now on this day, your bornday
My eyes cannot stop weeping.

In memory of my late friend/employer and someone that made the world a better place

#death #cancer

Mayara Giorno May 2020

Picnics Under Rays of Cancer

Picnics under rays of cancer

Sandstorms,
continuously in center.

I wish I could have mentioned
I wish I could have mentioned

Drawings of my dead mother

Foreplay to no end

Endless laughter with no beginning

I hope I still have time

I hope you still allow
for me to say,
thank you.

Nightmares filled with little girls

Clovers of two cloves

what am I supposed to do with this information?

I guess I’ll just hold on to this information.

Picnics in a sandstorm
Under rays of cancer
Is how I portray my feelings
of loving you

at your center.

#cancer #sun #rays #dead #mother #loving #you #thank

Andrew Layman Apr 2020

Upon the broken throne

Allow me to borrow your golden halo
agree to let me purchase your soul
every thing that shines has a silver price
every one who walks the earth must know
nothing sacred remains here
there is no more holy ground
crusaders and pilgrims alike have all faded
and the world has muted its siren sound

#lessons #royalty #cancer

Ella James Apr 2020

Campbell

I look up to my father,

as he holds his head in his hands

“He’s gone.”

My lungs don’t fill, my breath hitches.

Time stops.

Someone grabs my shoulder, pulling me away from reality

The floodgates open as I become vulnerable

Crying into the arms of an unknown

A disease that cannot be cured.

He went from lively to barely being able to carry his own sons

He became thin and pale

Lifeless

Sitting in a wheelchair

But he wasn’t afraid to die

Wearing all black, staring into the eyes of a dead man

1 wife, 3 young boys.

They don’t know what’s going on,

They just know that he’s gone

One year later

The youngest boy leaves this earth

No one knowing how, or why.

But that he went to join his father in heaven

They say love stories always have a happy ending

Not this one.

#cancer #death #sad #crying

Gabrielle Apr 2020

Can I eat your tumour?

Hey little friend,
Do you wanna play?
I could eat your homework
Then we could hang out all day

We could go to the park
Or chase birds at the beach
I promise I won’t bark
Or pull on the leash

Hey little friend,
We could lie in the sun
You seem kinda tired
There’s other things we can do for fun

Like stealing dinner off the bench,
Or hiding someone’s shoe
Even then it’s just as good
As staying up on tough nights with you

Hey little friend, what’s going on?
I don’t see you so much anymore
And somethings changed about your face,
It’s not like it was before

I bring you toys and treats and shoes
I run and chase and hide
But it’s not nearly as good now
Without you by my side

Hey little friend, you’re getting smaller
And more and more every day
No matter how hard I try
It seems you keep shrinking away

Could I eat your tumour?
Little friend, I’m out of things to do
I’m not sure how I’d get it though
Without hurting you

I haven’t seen you for a while now
The home is empty and hollow
Like the caves we used to play in
Or the tennis ball we used to follow

The sun has come and gone
Too many times to count
And I am getting much too old
To run and play a large amount

Hey little friend,
When you come back
Maybe we could just hug
I would really like that

And then we could play just one more time
The world would be our own
And though I cannot speak you’d know
I’m happy that you’re home

A poem about loss from the perspective of a pet dog.

#loss #animals #sad #cancer #emotional #love #death #longing #pet #sickness

cas Apr 2020

moon

when moon rise,
      you will shine
      be who you are
      and you will shine

#moonlight #moon #cancer #shine #bright #self #happiness #monica

Jack Apr 2020

To those who go before

Dear those who have passed,
You were the guiding light
To those of us who were in the dark
You helped us through our darkest times

Even when you suffered more

You shaped us
Molded us
Built us into the people we are today

Even when your own body wanted to take you away

You deserve the world
Just like the one you gave to us

So thank you for your Words
Actions
and Deeds
That lead us here today

Wish you the best,
The one you guided home

This goes out to my teacher in High school who recently lost her battle with cancer. She was a light that was put out too soon. You are forever in our hearts Mrs. Taylor.

#passed #death #remeberance #cancer