Hazel

Somewhere between chopping onions and capsicums

We talked about the meaning of life

On the edge of death.

From your garden,

You sauteed courgettes and carrots

Fragrant with garlic, rosemary and thyme.

​

You spoke about the preciousness of the moment,

Like fragile rose petals falling from the stem,

Only this moment we shared,

Each word a pastel sun,

Gifting an open heart.

​

You said, "There is a deeper reason behind my cancer,

A gift of growth and learning."

As you spoke,

You felt surrendered and strong, so alive...

Like you held an immortal secret

In the sinews of your cancer ravaged body.

You talked about the battle scars of the journey,

The lost years, unfinished dreams,

Your life force taken too soon,

Dying, leaving your beautiful man behind.

​

We pondered what lies beyond this world,

The beauty of dying,

A sacred passage of all living things.

Lifting our mask,

We held each other,

Merged energy,

Our souls bare

Basking in the soft tendrils of our hearts,

Sharing a magical dinner,

A golden sunset,

A sacred moment.

​

As the warm orange sunset recedes from the veranda,

A shimmering glow lingers

Dancing lightly on my skin.

Carving a memory in my heart

Long after you are gone.

​

Winning poem from the BMC Cancer Awareness Poetry Competition 2019 by Shari Rhodes.