Palms of My Hands

My fist in the air, I declare victory
in the battle I’ve warred for no one but me

In solidarity, you stood by my side,
making known to the world you never would hide

from difficulty, sadness, or troubling times,
whereas a man would walk away at the drop of a dime

Yet you stand in quiet assurance, knowing the reason why
Your lot in life to give me everything I needed — at least you would try

Looking into the palms of my hands,
I see they have nothing to give,
so I stand to conquer the wind and the waves,
and fight for my right to live

***

If you liked this poem, check out the special edition of a book I wrote twenty years ago called The Gift of a Rose: Witness to a Transformation.” It is a compilation of prose and some meditation I wrote as I was going through my experience as a metastatic breast cancer survivor. Let me know what you think!