Poetry Friday

Today’s poem comes from the pen of Jackie Fox, a breast cancer survivor and writer living in Nebraska. Jackie is the author of  From Zero to Mastectomy: What I Learned and You Need to Know About Stage 0 Breast Cancer about her experience of DCIS diagnosis and treatment.

This poem was written about Jackie’s friend,  Pam, and included in her book. Pam, Jackie says ” has the face of a beauty queen and the heart of a lion“.

     Warrior Princess  

for Pam

Those long legs carried her across the Chiefs parking lot,
battle veteran, blond head held high,
rebuilt breasts the prow of a proud ship.
As she passed, men’s necks snapped around
like rows of sunflowers following the sun.

Now those legs carry her through the halls of chemo,
bald head and fists high as she stares down the Beast.
She girds herself for the daily bombardment
of pelvis and spine by radiation,
chemo drip in the La-Z-Boy showroom from Hell,
armed only with that spirit blazing like a star.
Slayer of pity, resister of the morphine cloud,
she says she’s going to play the hand that’s dealt her.
I wouldn’t bet against her.

by Jackie Fox
copyright 2010

(Visit Jackie’s blog http://secondbasedispatch.com/)