By Hannah Moyer
Creeping and crawling through skin and bone
It takes up space and makes its home.
Sapping energy and feeding bitter moods,
Ruining even the best of days.
A not-so-silent parasite that ruins lives,
The beast makes up its own mind
Evading the medicine pumped in
Burrowing deeper, hiding better.
Laughing in the drawn, weary face of patients
As they lose their patience, their hope.
Killing them slowly, draining them.
And taking over body functions.
Skin turns thin, face pallid.
Bruises mar elbows and wrists
From repetitive needles and IV’s.
The wires and tubes trap them further.
Stomach revolts against medicine meant to heal
Eyes sink deeper, sleep strays further,
Joints ache at stillness, throb at movement,
Cancer makes itself more permanent.
Yet patients muster the strength:
As knights facing the dragon
And pirates riding the storm,
Soldiers banding together to win the war.
Testimonies to give others inspiration.
Support groups to build hope,
Facing the common enemy
With hard earned knowledge and advice.
A quiet, husky laugh from damaged lungs.
First steps after surgery, no longer bedridden.
Keeping water down, managing some toast.
Seeking progress in the little moments.
Pill bottles emptied, one by one,
Color returns, bruises clear.
It continues to lurk and wait
But slowly the beast will be tamed.
Hannah Moyer is a nursing major from Jersey Shore, PA, which is a small town in central Pennsylvania. She really loves reading, but she prefers to read novels, so poetry is pretty much out of her comfort zone. She doesn’t have a lot of experience with writing but had fun with this piece. Several people in Hannah’s life have cancer, including her dad, and she took a lot of inspiration from his experiences for this piece.