Tumor

Like a tumor

Eating away at all you’d had

Growing in the dark recesses

The deep caverns of the heart

Feeding off the creature comforts

Growing in the accepted sicknesses

Of jealousy, insecurity, greed

And the increasing habitual trivialness

As it eats away at you, slowly replicating over time

Through the blood that pumps through your heart

Until one day you wake up dying instead of living

And it seems much too late to turn it around

And those closest to you

Your trusted family and friends

Those who doctor up

All that’s become your life

They coach you

Implore you to have faith

To be strong, to not let go

And you know this disease is a part of you

But you also know

What it’s doing to your soul

Soon a confidante appears though

Someone you’re inclined to trust more than most

You tell yourself they must be right

That it’s somehow your only hope

Of feeling better, of retaking your life

And like the guesswork of white coats

You soon wake up sold

And so you seek your cure

Injecting into you this new poison

Fingering the festering sore

Yet this new growth still eats away at you

Still it grows, slowly taking over

Taking hold, taking control

And your cure is eating away at the healthy

All that was left of you

This poison, feeding too

And you lie to yourself

Reciting hope that there’s still a chance

Convincing yourself you can still turn it around

But everything is killing you

Your cancer and your cure

And so the resignation sets in

Fighting isn’t worth the fight

Your soul is gone

Your heart, numb

It’s too late for you

And finally

When it eventually kills you

Having taken everything you ever were

At least then, you’ll know

You will take it with you

When you go

ⓒ 2009 Shawn Michael Quinn