ODE TO THE YOUNG ADULT CANCER SURVIVOR
I stood at the threshold
Of a promising life,
Ready to step out bold,
Face challenges and strife.
I wanted to soar,
Like an eagle in the sky.
Eager to conquer more,
To reach really high.
One fateful day I awoke,
To a painful, swollen knee,
In one terrible stroke,
It changed what I was to be.
Multiple hospital trips,
And neverending tests.
Our hearts missed a skip,
Yet we hoped for the best.
"Osteosarcoma"
Was the dreaded disease.
I felt dazed, in a coma;
My brain seemed to freeze.
My family drowned in tears,
My future looked so bleak.
Haunted by many fears,
Uncertain, depressed, meek.
My dreams torn and tattered,
A maelstrom of emotions.
My parents were shattered;
Were there any solutions?
Would I ever walk again?
Would I lose my lower limb?
Would I become a burden?
The situation was grim.
My folks offered prayers,
With devotion and fervor.
Could unkindly fate dare
Snatch their son forever?
My doctor reassured me,
On his face a kind smile;
"There's no need to worry;
You'll be fine in awhile."
He explained me the treatment,
And then asked "Is that clear?"
I was filled with resentment,
Worried for those I held dear.
They excised the tumor,
Chemotherapy began.
I was plagued by bad humor,
Wondering at God's plans.
It seemed an eternity;
Painful weeks crawling by.
I wallowed in self pity.
All alone, I would cry.
Now that is all over.
The disease has been cured.
I feel I'm in clover
I feel reassured.
The dark clouds have vanished.
I have jettisoned gloom,
My demons I have banished,
And let optimism bloom.
My life is now settled,
I like working, have fun.
I am in fine fettle.
This battle I have
Copyright ©
Ramanan Duraiswami
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