Grappling
Eleanor feels her strength ebb
like a river dried by heat
she sinks to the hospital floor
chemotherapy stalks her,
sometimes weakens her resolve
breaks her like a fireball
staff support her, lift her to a chair
offer the stale ugliness of words: "Get tough girl!"
Regaining ground, she jokes to name her rebel cells:
"Curly, Larry and Moe"
malformed bits that divide, spread,
growth grotesque
Cancer's aerial roots like ivy adhering to the human stems
of hope
Her diagnosis snared her well ordered life,
hoisted sails of hospital gowns to blunt her vision
Blood samples, lab tests, IV's, rays that X her soul
a restless swirl
to solve the puzzle
to sculpt her body whole
what she wishes
as Eleanor holds promise tight
grim jawed
in an ordeal that steals her essence
a train that chugs and shudders
her search beyond the rails
Poem composed: June 21, 2021
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