The Warrior

It came
Unwelcome
And uninvited
And I see
What it has done to you

Yes it enjoyed the
Wining and dining
When we thought we'd booked
A dinner meant only for two.

It celebrated with us
Absorbing a wine or two
And amidst the laughter
Began multiplying
As it lay obscured from view

And as we celebrated
It lay
Silent and deadly
Stealing and robbing
While hiding seductively in the dark

And I see what it has done
Yes I see the tiredness
The bone weary tiredness
That steals even the smallest of smiles

I look helplessly on
As you take on the fight
And I see the struggle
When your strength is compromised

Yes I see you rally
As you forge onwards
I see the weariness
And I hear the sighs

But I too
see the strength
The epitome
Of
A true fighter

I watch in awe
And admire your stamina
As true to your family motto
You fight the fight
Faithfully and strongly
As only I know you can

The Enemy Lies Within

I sat quite still
I did not fidget at all
The air slowly seeped from the room
As he spoke his practiced words
Of diagnosis and prognosis
And I wondered how
Just how, we would weather this storm

I'm sure I held my breath
As the room grew hazier
As the words continued
To pour from his lips.
Each one
As sharp as a razor
And every one a direct body hit.

The haziness continued
But his words
Yes, they were crystal clear
Sickeningly they continued their assault
And they mushroomed on impact
Each one cutting and tearing
As they tore our world apart

This wasn't what we came to hear
And so we waited
Surely some comfort
Was to come from his lips
But as the words continued to pour unchecked
The sickening dread increased
As his words spewed forth relentlessly.

And when it was over
He ushered us out the door
The consultation was complete
And clearly his job was done
We had been dismissed and we stood
Battle weary and unsure of what was in store.

But if his news was hard to impart
It was even harder to digest
His compassion was lacking
His words brutal and direct
But he does not know us
We were not diminished by his words
We took comfort and strength in each other

And we have risen above his words
We do not deny that they are true
But he did not factor
On our resoluteness
Our resilient immigrant background

And for that we thank our forebears
For when times were tough
They did not wail and beat their chests
No, they hunkered down
And gave the fight their very best.