It Was Another Woman

It Was Another Woman
By Nancy M. McKay

 
It was another woman who answered the phone.
       Yes, Doctor……..yes             
              yes…………yes
       That’s life threatening, isn’t it?      

       I see.
       How long?
       months?…….a year?……..2
       at the most?

       I see.
       Thank you, Doctor
       No, don’t worry, it’s allright.
       I know you are.
              yes…………yes.

 
It was another woman who hung up the phone.
       My god. Oh my God!      
       MELANOMA
       OH MY GOD

       He held her tight,
       squeezing out the words
              and sobs
              and gulps for air.
       Oh my God
       I don’t believe it.

 
It was another woman who believed it.
       “no known treatment”
       “we can clean out…….the lymph nodes……”

       How do we tell the girls? my sister?
       I can’t. You do it.

       Just hold me.
       I don’t want to do this.

It was another woman who disbelieved it.
       “CT is clear……
       except those lymph nodes…..”

       Then Jesus said,
       I will give you rest….
              what kind? eternal?
       Follow me
              you’re the best thing in sight!
       Shall I give you your life?
              just like that?
       Have it.

It was another woman who began to breathe again.
       May I have a healing?
       right here, right now?
       No,
       you have to live it.
       oh.

       May I have a healing image?
              I hate all the battle stuff.
              I don’t want all that carnage in me.

       A soap bubble came
              shimmery, wobbly
              iridescent
              gold and aqua and fuchsia
              in the light.

       Rising from her shoulders, back, and head
              bubbles, bubbles, bubbles
              Inside each one
              a cancer cell

       When they cleared her body
              Pop! and poof!
              bubble and cell
              softly gone.

It was another woman who tried everything.
       Scalpel and hospital, and
       Chinese herbs and beta carotene, and
       Experimental vaccinations.
       Guided visualizations, and
       Hypnotic tapes, and just being with.

       Miracles lined up
              behind each setback.
       People prayed and said so.
       Pelicans flew,
       T-cells woke up
       and went to work.

 
It was another woman who listened to herself.

 
It is another woman who knows she is healing.

Nancy McKay’s Bio
Nancy McKay gives spiritual direction in the progressive Christian tradition. She also practices and teaches Bio-Spirituality through Focusing. She is a former presenter at the Cancer as a Turning Point, From Surviving to Thriving^TM conference and a current Healing Journeys board member.