Typically first
on the job with a knack
for attacking anything foreign,
today they’re just low—not wimpish,
just too weak to filibuster their way
through bacteria, viruses, and fungi,
those bloody delinquents even now
hanging out in the back alleys
of your veins waiting for you
to cry, “Uncle!” But we’ve
got their number,
don’t we?
The big C
can float around
elsewhere while we up
the numbers with more
acronyms (IRT), sleep,
and an extra dose
of hope.
Either that
or give into the grim
diagnoses that thin time
or—depending on your mind
and eyes to recognize and
heed the difference—
expand chances.
Yes.
Choose that.
Yes.
Guiding Questions
Consider the following after reading the poem:
- What do the “bloody delinquents” in the poem symbolize, and how does this metaphor shape our understanding of illness?
- How does the poem balance the tension between despair and hope in the face of illness?
- What is the significance of the repeated affirmation at the end of the poem?
- What does the poem communicate about the intersection of medical treatment and the human spirit?
About the author
Poetry Moment host for WPSU-FM, assistant editor of Presence, and Professor Emerita of English at Commonwealth University, Marjorie Maddox has published 17 collections of poetry—including How Can I Look It Up When I Don’t Know How It’s Spelled? (Kelsay Books), Seeing Things (Wildhouse), as well as the ekphrastic collaborations Small Earthly Space and In the Museum of My Daughter’s Mind. Maddox also has published a story collection, 4 children’s books, and the anthologies Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania and Keystone Poetry (co-editor w/Jerry Wemple, PSU Press). Learn more at www.marjoriemaddox.com.
