Poem on Cancer

Hello again,

The following poem was written recently. It's on a topic that is close to my heart. I spent many years doing cancer research in the laboratory. I also witnessed several close family members succumbing to the disease. This poem is a result of my feelings about it.
Patty



Cancer

How often must we hear
this word before we wake up
to the truth?

I read the statistics -
Millions of Americans have died from cancer
since 1975. How many more
before we do something about it?

Forever and ever we are
caught in its snare
as we watch
parent or sibling or friend
struggle against its
lethal clutches,
their very life choking from the chemicals -
the poisons they ingest to survive
one minute more only to die forever
lost to conventional treatment,
causing us
to mourn forever and ever
the loss of beautiful people,
gracious souls that somehow
never ripened to old age.

I struggled just like them, but knew
it was not my time for I wanted to live,
but didn't they also?
I told them to stay away from the chemicals,
and eat organic fruits and vegetables,
drink pure water, breathe clean air,
and take vitamins and supplements,
But instead they listened to their doctor
and no longer are around to listen to me.
Where did I go wrong?
Maybe I forgot to tell them to pray?
Why didn't they listen?

Where did medicine go wrong?
Why do they poison and radiate the body
Instead of helping to prevent it in the first place?
Maybe they forgot to listen to the patient's
soul?
Or maybe they don't have one themselves...

I listened to my husband, I read,
I ate organic foods and drank pure water...
I listened to my intuition
and I'm still around.

by Patty Apostolides, 2010