for Jim
Feeling bone tired after a very long day
Three hours in traffic to get to the appointment late
Still arriving early for the consult talking and waiting
with my friend
Then learning the prostate cancer has spread to your bones.
We have so many questions
We keep the doctor with us for an hour.
I am there to help you process the information
Making hard choices what treatments to suffer.
The unknown quality of life time remaining
Could be said of any of us in the abstract sense
But with this there is a core certainty
There is no cure.
Instead, a promise of pain.
I am so sad it has come to this.
How I value your enthusiasm and optimism.
How I hope that you can keep going for a long time
And I can ease your difficult days in some way.
It is day one of the rest of your life
Still sinking in what to expect will happen
Admiring your courage to face reality
Feeling bone tired after a very long day.
