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.
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