Cancer, the Ultimate Test of Friendship

 

Cancer, the Ultimate Test of Friendship     

 

 

Being diagnosed with cancer

 

Separates our friends from pretenders

 

Cancer provides a litmus test

 

For those who we can trust

 

 

 

Our quest is to survive

 

And do all that we can to thrive

 

No cancer patient should be left to ask why

 

Or left alone to cry

 

 

 

Why our family is now elusive as a dancing butterfly 

 

Or a spouse suddenly misplacing their loyalty

 

You slowly see a difference in your friends

 

And while you try to justify their actions

 

It is not something you can honestly defend

 

Sometimes it just feels as if you’re just a distraction    

 

 

 

When we return to our work environment

 

Our colleagues seem to have misplaced their sentiment

 

We spend many days reflecting on what we did wrong

 

But we do not find anything that suggests we do not belong

 

 

 

As we look for a kinder and more gentler world

 

We remember the songs that found a home within our heart

 

You warmly recall your favorite places with all its playful adventure

 

And the family golden retriever chasing the slippery ball in the park

 

 

 

Some of us turn to reading and writing

 

Others discover the beauty in the little things of life

 

We try and find a common bond

 

With others that we have come to be very fond

 

 

 

We awake daily to walk those rugged rock formations

 

And remember within our hearts

 

Our moments of quiet celebrations

 

As our lives seek a forgiving path with a new start

 

 

 

Our beliefs are shattered as those we thought would be there

 

Gradually slip away from our reach as were not sure if they care

 

We have no answer when our friends appear in a distant shadow

 

And find inside our soul an aching hole which is steep and hollow

 

 

 

We have not changed nor do we intend to

 

As we will always take the high ground as it is our creed

 

To be there for others in need because they are human too

 

Including those whose warmth we missed in our time of greatest need

 

 

HeartofSoul_Steve