Cancer, the time thief, the stealth invader
Strikes like lightning
Smashing dreams, mocking the ego
Shattering the illusion of control

The soul quails in a crucible of rage
Flailing to constrain erupting pools of despair
Surreal simmering … then a new wave surges
overwhelming the mind’s shore
Receding, but churning beneath
Aloneness burrows into the bones
And sleep interminably empty of rest
Seeking for an enemy to blame
in futility
Life a sequence of erratic, perpetual tides
of turbulence
To drown in, or ride
Solace is learning to surf

Originally written: 2022