Pre Sixth Month Jitters
I can lift my arms all the way
over my head now, a small miracle
remembering how it felt like I’d
become a T-Rex, tiny arms helpless
at my sides after the surgery
that rid me of the cancer,
freed me to live an authentic life…
the tomboy grown up and comfortable
with my own maleness
now integrated with the female boy
the sissy boy inside, like a peppermint
candy, multiple stripes, all me
but I’m still nervous to take this
still healing body for my sixth month
check up, like taking a car in for maintenance
to see if “bad roomie” might be trying
to make a reappearance, somewhere
little enemy, hiding out of sight, never out of
mind, just a thought, or a bruise I can’t
remember where it came from, this ache
that pinch, there, there, there
and then I remember, most folks get five years
even with radiation and chemo and I did neither
and have my own healer team, my own chemo
wheatgrass, turmeric, spinning my chakras
as ordered by my naturopath, and the reiki
I stream everyday like lighting through this body
so I put worry in a drawer, take a deep breath, keep
moving, don’t look at a certain date on my August calendar.
James A. Stansberry is a poet, philosopher, and Washingtonian.
SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).
SHARING STORIES is featured on http://www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. The newspaper can be found in the greater Seattle area and other Puget Sound locations. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit http://www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type “sharing stories” in the search function above.
