I wrote this during an 8 hour day in the chemo chair. That day was just another day in the treatment regimen that followed a stage 4 cancer diagnosis about 8 months prior. It reflects a bit of the bitterness I feel toward the government and their lack of respect for returned veterans. This piece is a little bit metaphorical and could be perceived as being a little dark so if your not in the mood, don't read it.......anyway consider yourself forewarned. Here's what the chemo chair looks like.
The Chemo Chair 1-23-09
chemo chair….day who knows
a rats poison, so it don’t grow
bones on fire
lightning from toes
zofran for breakfast
so it don’t go
hiccups four hours
midst of night
couch for a week
then I’ll take flight
ipod an island in another time
determination is my mind
“mind over matter” is what they say
the pep and the hype an easy delay
of the fear and rage, eventually seen through
easy to say, hard to do
memories of then, and yet to come?
scraggly ol' hair doo, long since done
supercuts on Thursday one-fifteen
been a long time...twenty years it seems?
...since the Army? nineteen eighty-eight.
VA says we won’t bear the weight
two bronze stars a couple pounds more
who’d have known there’d always be war
who's gonna tell some kid….hardly eighteen
the recruiter......in his army greens?
not hardly, as I recall
certainly the ghost of the VA halls
midst of night, a terrible fight
thousand pound bombs of the Navy long
into Iraq they go
twenty years ago
from Iraq I’ve come
body numb
twenty years it takes
to acknowledge the weight
acknowledge I do
through the national news
pissed I become
until I’m dumb
descend I do
to the crater blew
ascend I will
from the bombs sweet swill
body is bum
mind must run
to water blue....
easy to say, hard to do
