Four Cancer Patients’ Prayers

Four strangers,
four women,
we couldn’t read tea leaves
and ended up unwell
within beige walls of
a cancer center waiting room.

On my first day of radiation,
Milly’s expression was like London fog,
and Daneen’s was calm as chamomile,
but it’s often unknown what hides
behind a woman’s eyes.
Anxiety brewed inside me
as we waited quietly,
sky blue hospital gowns draped
over skin and scars.

But, by appointment 4 for me, friendship was steeping,
giggles and greetings, our stories revealing.
We discussed surgeries,
lumpectomies, mastectomies,
and families.

Daneen spoke of believing and meant-to-bes -
to me, she was white petals, water, and peace.
She gifted me Saint Agatha, patron saint of breast cancer,
said she’d pray for me when she left,
her treatment complete.

Milly and I had weeks longer,
I learned she’d been resilient all summer and winter.
She was soil, a tea tree, pearly flowers, hardy,
said when pain and uncertainty rise like steam,
she “gives it up to God,” loves her quiet life, hates to be on guard.

Barb came seemingly confident
as sunshine and cinnamon,
Optimism appeared to lead
her cane and healing hip.
She said her mind is 34,
her body feels like 95,
and her real age is somewhere in between.
Her eyes light up - she is red hair and a grin,
she’s out on the town and cheeseburgers.
I imagine outside this place,
she’s a whistling kettle.

I was citrus and sugar,
adding lemonade from lemons,
entered the space like Alice,
curiouser and curiouser.
My nervous heart needed settling,
I held my breath, exhaled slowly,
sent love and light to these women,
believed we will find peace.

Unlike Milly and Daneen,
Barb and I didn’t say
phrases explicitly spiritual,
but well wishes are prayers,
and compassion is perpetual.

Our lives overlapped for a short time,
infused with bad luck and hope -
we blended like herbs, earthy and floral.

The waiting room was a teacup,
and each of us said, come in,
it’s warm here,
and a holy feminine deity who
holds this space
picked us up,
high tea, cozy,
added cream,
and placed us gently 
on a table
to rest.