The Struggle Has Ended

Greg Hewlett passed away on January 17th after nearly eight years of battling colon cancer. While we grieve his loss, we are comforted to know that he is with his Lord.

If you would like to leave your thoughts on Greg, please see this thread.

If you would like to make a charitable donation in Greg's honor, please see this thread.

Monday, May 23, 2005

Marked

crosshairs.JPG"Just lie there still
Like a sack of potatoes."
Fragments of sound from a smile.
Surely these recited utterances had meaning
Her first time.

A sack of potatoes, I lay.
Obedient. Naked. Marked. Numbered.
For the best. They do care. They must.

Indigo stripes shamelessly violate
The buttocks. Hip. Back.
Crosshairs tatooed for the gun
To be aimed at naive potatoes.

Do the white-jacketed figures feel?
Gathered at the screen. Pointing. Scheming.
Dutifully murmuring about millimeters and degrees.

A hand, human, touches my shoulder
Grants permission to rise, dress.

"We'll see you Tuesday."
A voice. More recited utterances.
"Don't forget free valet with validation"

I emerge. Delivered.
Breathe.
Think.
Pray.
Gaze skyward.
No longer a sack of potatoes.

The morning mirror insists still
That I am.


6 comments:

Dave said...

God knows
We know
You are
Cooldog.

James Williams said...

May the Lord continue to give you the strength and the courage to endure. Though we have never met in person, I feel that I am a part of your special experience. I continue to be touched and encouraged by your faith and your determination. May you continue to see the light, even when darkness is all around. May God continue to ever Bless you and your family. I truly count it a rare privilege that your life has touched mine.

karen clayton said...

Always in my prayers. Love to you and Christine
karen

Bruce & Bert Grantham said...

Excerpts from a Puritan prayer:
"Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess,
but not more than if found in thee, the divine treasury
in whom all fullness dwells"
"May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened,
that I may honour thee by my entire dependency
and the greatness of my expectation."
Love in Christ,
Bruce & Bert

Bruce & Bert Grantham said...

Excerpts from a Puritan prayer:
"Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess,
but not more than if found in thee, the divine treasury
in whom all fullness dwells"
"May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened,
that I may honour thee by my entire dependency
and the greatness of my expectation."
Love in Christ,
Bruce & Bert

Carl said...

Your poem drew a picture that brought me into the examining room at MD Anderson. Thanks for sharing this experience however dehumanizing it must have been.