Hope

Tonight I went to a reception honoring people who are instrumental in Gateway to Hope, an organization that “arranges comprehensive medical and surgical care for uninsured and underinsured individuals in Missouri with a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer. Individuals genetically at high risk for breast cancer will be considered for genetic testing and treatment through Gateway to Hope. Services and equipment are donated, as is care by experienced breast care specialists, to treat patients in critical need of assistance.”

I had been asked by an old friend, Diane Gallant, to write a poem to be put into a wonderful book they were putting together to tell the stories of many of their patients and how Gateway to Hope helped them. Here is my poem:

Hope

There’s a lump in my breast.
If it’s cancer,
there’s nothing I can do—
can’t afford treatment,
don’t really know where to go.
Miserable, alone,
I ignore it as long as I can.
At the bottom of a well
in the dark, cold, hemmed in,
I can’t look up
to see if there’s a glimmer of light.

I hear your voice.
You tell me there’s a way out:
counseling, treatment, top doctors,
no cost. Yanked
into the sunlight, I can see to the horizon
and beyond. I wrap my arms around you,
gulp fresh air, begin
to feel whole again.