I am hoping to get back into the swing of things when it comes to producing poems. For now I’m setting myself the goal of writing and posting one poem each month. If I can manage this, then I’ll look at stepping it up from there.
As I try to return to the habit of writing, I find that most of what occupies my creative thoughts is the experience of dealing with my wife’s cancer. As of now, she’s been in remission for two years—a miracle in itself to be sure. But no matter how long we both may live, I’ll never forget the experience of being caught within the gravity well of that singular tumor and forcing ourselves to go about each day within its event horizon.
Event Horizon
Despite the aching crawl of time,
I wake each day
from fitful sleep,
stumble to the car,
and drive to work.
Despite the crushing pressure
of uncertainty,
we take our son to preschool,
to the park to play,
and ready him for bed.
Despite the all-consuming darkness
that haunts every thought,
we buy groceries,
prepare our meals,
and pay the bills.
The diagnosis was unexpected—
I suppose it always is.
In but a moment, all
forward momentum was lost
and we found ourselves
locked in the fathomless
grip of a tumor.
And yet despite
the overwhelming gravity,
we continue on and
go about our lives
just inside the event horizon
of oblivion.
