My friend calls me when he's out walking
Trudging along despite his fatigue
Doing what he can to keep going
Hoping to last another decade
His blood work results fluctuate
Some indications good and some not so much
One improves and another gets worse
A number progression with scary spikes
That's all rather abstract impersonal sampling
The point is the treatment is working for now
To keep the cancer under control
And we can talk about almost anything
He sometimes has intrusive thoughts as do I
And almost everyone from what I understand
Though each of us has our own separate issues
It's good to talk our way through it together
Reminding him of his empty shirt that hangs disembodied
Waiting for him here where he left it in my house
Listening to him proudly proclaim he's still alive
Telling him I wish he felt better
He stops to help someone he encounters
Doing what truly keeps him going
And I go back to my personal life
Until our next call next week
