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Marked for LIFE - (in two senses of the word!)

The marks tattoed upon my chest
Where surgeons have removed the breast
Are tiny spots
(Or rather - dots!)
Made at the therapists' behest
To guide them swing the gantry round
So, at the warning buzzer's sound,
The beam would focus
On each locus
Where cancer cells might still be found!

Author notes

!

A contest entry

Please do not feel obliged to comment - and if you do,please understand that it may be some time before I can "return the favour".

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Comments

1 - 33 of 33

  • LesbianOfLove
    November 11
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    Great poem. Thank you for doing a theme that hasn't been written on yet. I really enjoyed reading this and you've done a phenomenal job at it. Congats on your previous recognitions and good luck! Thank you for entering the contest!

  • ShadyWilbury
    October 3

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    Bless you, poet.

    You have painted a picture of your experience which is so well painted, it has brought me to the point of tears prickling at the back of my eyes...I thank you, because you have granted me an understanding of what a dear friend of mine must have gone through during her battle. She claimed her final victory in death, I pray that you will claim yours in life, because you are strong. Fight on, and win.

    G-d bless you!

  • refinnej
    September 30

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    Very creative and original. Never thought of it as being a tattoo...clever concept. Nice word flow. Thank you for entering...good luck

    • Vera Rich
      September 30
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      I think you may have misunderstood. The tattoo marks are not a "concept" - they are a plain, down-to-earth reality - done prior to the start of radiotherapy. They are necessary for the technicians to get the beam on focus.

      • refinnej
        September 30
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        yes i understand, i guess "concept" was not the word i was looking for, just that it was clever to refer to them as tattoos in the sense of regular tattoo as you are branded for life. I thought of them as just marks before, not tattoos which they are. thanks for entering


  • AshesFromFire
    May 26

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    Lovely, and so powerful! I really like this one. There is so much strength in this piece! Wow, thats all I can say. I never expected an entry like this, but I like it! It blew me away! Bravo dear. Stay strong!


  • honey bear
    February 11

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    thank you for sharing this with us, these is nothing i can add to what *just rob* has said in the comment below, this is a beautiful write


  • just rob gold member
    February 9

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    I'm so glad you won with this. As a Tattoo freak who spends time with my "tribe" I have met a number of women with tattoos over the site of their surgeries.

    These are among the special tatts that I see as sacred, along with portraits of or inspired by lost loved ones, certain religious icons, etc. I often compete in a class for most unusual tattoo, and have seen a few cases where women have beautiful tattoos placed on these sites as a sort of therapy, a reclaiming of their sense of beauty.
    When they display these proudly, I am in awe of the strength, the self-determination they posses.

    Bravo!

    When I got a snotty comment from the host on my entry, I went to read the winners. After reading some of the host's work, reading the others, I was convinced the host was only interested in forced, middle-school rhyme. I felt a lot better after I read this. Not only do you elevate the concept and display a luminious spirit, but you do it with a poem that is subtle and very well written.

    again, BRAVO!


  • Frodofan silver member
    January 30

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    Wow. No doubt this will be one of the most original entries. It's very very powerful.

    Thanks for entering.


  • hawkeslake gold member
    January 29
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    I didn't need radiation, but did have the surgery and chemo -- isn't losing your hair a kick! Nicely written, and I send my best wishes. Don't worry about "returning the favor."

  • hawkeslake gold member
    October 26, 2008

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    Dear Vera, yes, very touching and encouraging, just because of your sense of humor. Keep up the good fight; all of us survivors must send our best prayers and good vibrations to each other. A very excellent write!


  • JustSimplyLissa gold member
    October 8, 2008

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    Very uplifting type of response to something that can be so deadly. Way to go on your amazing positive attitude! It is awesome to see.


  • parenchma
    September 3, 2008

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    I have a friend who is a jew and a holocaust survivor. I am semi seriously thinking of having his crude arm numbers tatooed on my arm so people will remember...

    also, Did you know the man found frozen in the alps had tatoos? his were similar to yours in that they were points for accupuncture!


  • Rainydaywoman
    August 21, 2008

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    This is a wonderful little ditty, although it is about radiation. My mom will be going through radiation therapy in about 10 weeks and she will go through that for 5-7 weeks daily. I have so much respect for people who have made it through this, now that my life has been touched by it. Thank you for your entry and love and light to you!


  • Scrunter
    July 18, 2008
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    A piece that has made me cry
    Thank you for entering and good luck

  • PureCountry
    June 28, 2008

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    A Whole Different

    take on the contest purposes. Yet none the less appealing for the message contained within. Having dealt with similar issues with my own Mother's medical struggle, I applaud your forthrightfulness (If that is a word).

    Best of Luck In The Contest


  • HereComesTheSun
    June 18, 2008
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    its a great poem that tells a story good luck in the contest


  • Kathryn Bowden
    June 12, 2008

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    nice write full of pain and hope at the same time. Good job and thank you for taking time to enter. Good luck and God bless.
    Kathryn


  • individuality gold member
    June 4, 2008

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    a good piece of poetry, so many lives are affected by cancer, perhaps one day soon we will find a cure for it, we call all live in the hope of that.


  • Nicada silver member
    June 3, 2008

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    I never understood what was meant by these marks until recently when a friend was going through treatment for breast cancer. This is an honest and sad write about the trauma experienced when dealing with such a horrible disease. You have done a great job. Thanks for entering my contest. Blessings, Patty


  • Melissa Burns
    May 1, 2008

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    I'm glad that you have such courage in facing things, I'm afraid I'm a coward in the truest sense of the word when it comes to the big 'C' I can barley stand to hear a commercial, read the word, say it - anything. Thank you for being a strong voice for all of us


  • CountryCousin
    March 8, 2008

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    Okay.

    Oh those tattoos, I had almost forgotten them, but then they are a final reminder of what we have gone through. I do appreciate this one, maybe more than you know.


  • Carpe Noctem
    January 24, 2008

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    Awwwwwwwwww. This is so sad, but it's good to know you can write about it instead of hiding it. You must be very strong! Thanks so much for entering, and best of luck!


  • astralshepherd gold member
    October 22, 2007

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    The tattoo of cancer marking is an odd thing, i think. The way they line up the target, and they don’t ever go away, they linger long after the reason for being there goes, reminding, pointing - oh they try to hide, mix themselves in with freckles and moles and folds of skin - but they are always there, staring out, reminders of sear and char, the rawness of life peeling away. I must say that your entry here brings tears with it, relief and sorrow mingled with my memory of this time. Thank you for your entry, your skill, your efforts are appreciated.

    Blessings and best wishes,

    ~r.


  • DolphinLass silver member
    October 18, 2007
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    wow great write, good luck....I was born in London Uk but we came to Australia when I was young

  • astralshepherd gold member
    October 4, 2007
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    Vera, thank you so much for entering your poem, “Marked for LIFE” into my contest, Breast Cancer Awareness, it is an honor to have your work posted here and your voice and unique perspective is a welcome addition. This is a boilerplate note that I place on all poems entered to let you know I have reviewed your poem and have made my initial observations. Please feel free to add to or modify your poem as I will make my final assessments after the close of contest. I will judge the contest approximately ten days after that and will make any additional comments at that time. Thank you, again, I truly do appreciate your effort and wish you best of luck in the contest.

    Blessings and best wishes,

    ~r.

  • Acidanthra
    August 1, 2007
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    Thank you for entering my contest. It is now closed for judging. Everyone is a winner!!


  • Legend silver member
    April 3, 2007

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    Smile? yes i did as one who has just lost his wife to breast cancer after a fight of 13 years I love how you have taken this chance to add a little humour to the situation you and many are in. We as a family laughed in its face, and although it won ,it never once stopped us from living life to the full. I have three daughters and i can tell you breast cancer is a scary thing for them to live with.As they have seen their aunt, and her daughter age 32 die with it The daughter just 4 weeks before my wife in Oct 2007. The tattoos my wife had.Though she went a little further and had a couple of real ones for her 50th birthday.great to hear that you are still laughing at this disease we did till the end My best wishes for the future Oh I notice i have rambled on when this was meant to be a comment on your poem sorry I love it, and you Excellent

  • Cinnarry gold member
    March 11, 2007

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    This is such a dead on piece of work, considering this contest. My dear mother and I both have fought long and hard battles with cancer, my father died from it. I truly appreciate this write, although short and metaphorically to the point, it says so much more than the people on the other side will ever fathom. You are quite the inspiration dear lady. Persevere!

    • Vera Rich
      March 11, 2007
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      I am so very touched at your comment... For your experiences of this nasty disease (and that is my considered word for it - I will not honour it by calling it sonmething grander, like "tragic") are so much worse than mine -and some people in your situation might have objected to my laughter! But there is a line in - I think - Love's Labour's Lost, something like "to catch wild laughter in the throat of death"... and it is in that kind of ambience that my laughter belongs... But if one does not laugh, then one will weep... and weeping solves nothing!


  • Lyndon gold member
    March 11, 2007
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    A happy rhyme

    if the subject can be seen that way. The thrill of discovering the deliberate ambiguity of the title was slightly diminished in your broad hint. Thank you, Vera. I truly hope and pray that you are much better. Ron.


  • silent bee
    March 11, 2007
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    wow...this is great. i take it you had cancer? my mother has had breast cancer 3 times in the past 5 years. its a scary thing! thank you so much for the poem. this was great, i enjoyed it. and it brought a tear to my eye! thanx for entering, and best of luck to you!

    ~b*e*e~

    • Vera Rich
      March 11, 2007
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      Yes, I have HAD cancer... and seem to have been lucky. Although the doctors will not pronounce a "cure" until five years have elapsed from the initial diagnosis - their unofficial verdict is that I can now consider it to be "in the past tense". They are a bit surprised though that I have come through the therapy process "so easily" (though if that were easy, I hate to think what "difficult" would have been!). I attribute my good fortune firstly to then prayers and "positive thoughts" from so many friends (including many in Allpoetry)... some of the messages from friends were very amusing - one agnostic said he did not believe in prayer, but he would "focus his thoughts for me on to the positive life-force that sustains the universe" [which sounds to me rather a good definition of prayer!], and the Bishop who said firmly that I must not die yet, I had too much work to finish - and that he would "inform the Lord" that He should not take me yet. (Not, you will note "ask" the Lord, but "inform" Him... well, I suppose Bishops are allowed to take that stance!).

      The other factor, which the doctors think undoubtedly helped, is that I was able to laugh my way through the whole process... and to write comic poems/songs about it..(Most of my poems are meant for singing, or at least chanting)... and have put the relevant poems into my case-notes. If you are interested, you might like to look at those on my page: "Thank you (?) letter from hospital", "Fallout" and "Radiotherapy - with apologies to Rolf Harris"...

      But, in compliance with doctors orders to keep a cheerful outlook I offended a number of Allpoetry members, having clicked on to their poems and then - finding them filled with gloom and doom (something one cannot always tell from the title!) clicking off quickly without commenting!


      Anyway, I am still here, and working on a book that seems likely to take at least three years to complete... and have a VERY big event in my life coming up in three weeks time - so big that I am a little embarassed to tell people about it...

      I take it from the phrasing of your letter that your mother is continuing to fight back... Good luck to her!





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