Debjani Chatterjee: Two poems

Cancer pathway

In what mad moment

did I buy the ticket for

this cancer journey?

The pathway is dark,

there’s no map, no directions,

no light to lead me.

Cancer erases

the ordinary wrinkles

of my daily life.

The side effects are

just ‘collateral damage’,

so–called ‘friendly fire’.

Hansel and Gretel

taught me to scatter breadcrumbs,

to survive this ride.

Anniversaries

are milestones on the pathway.

One day at a time ...

Debjani Chatterjee

Debjani Chatterjee

Cancer is ...

Cancer is the cat

sitting open–mouthed below

the nest I must fly;

a sly hyena:

a scavenging predator,

dribbling and laughing;

a razored needle,

transforming into a spear

in each painful side.

Cancer is lightning:

picking on random victims –

and can strike again.

Debjani Chatterjee