I just found out that someone I know through my fiancé has discovered, though genetic testing, that she has an incredibly high chance of developing breast cancer. In a few days she will undergo a double mastectomy. He asked me to write something for her because he recognized this procedure as lifesaving but at the potential expense of losing her identity. This sparked an incredibly interesting and long conversation between us. I will save that for another post because this one is just for her and all the other women in our lives who have been down this road or will face it one day in the future.
I can’t always find the right words to express myself completely but this poem flowed from my heart. I hope anyone going through this experience recognizes the incredibly powerful decision they are choosing to live. I love you all and may your unique light continue to shine for the rest of us to bathe in it’s splendor.
Am I
my hair
Am I my skin
Or am I the spirit within
To keep my fire burning bright
What would I be willing to give up
What would I be willing to sacrifice
It’s easy in the future to look at our past
The moments all seem like they went by so fast
We will live with the choice we’re all forced to make
Sometimes it seems it’s more than we can take
But your future self knows you will not break
So many answers we’re never told
Will I still be loved or grow old
To find out you will be bold
You’re more than tissues
More than bones
You are light
Shining
bright
xoxo,
Ana