Welcome to our Poetry Corner

Here you will find poems from our members related to cancer.

“Alone with Death” is a poem by Robert Anderson, one of Scotland’s up-and-coming artists.  You can find more of Robert’s work by visiting his website.

“There are so many people out there suffering alone . I wrote this poem around my mum , but really it is for all those mums, dads, brothers, sisters and friends that this scourge has taken from us at some point or is about to.” Robert Anderson

Alone With Death

A woman paces the midnight floor
Refusing to answer her phone or door
Lost in her memories,
Alone in her past
Her seventy years
Just went so fast
Like her husband before her
She has said her last
As she reflects on a youth that was
A girl so young
Who fought the cause

With flowers in her hair
And adorning her dress
Ruby red cheeks
With looks so fresh
Now cancers to bone
With hardly a breath
Facing her ultimate untimely death
Alone in the dark
With her wasted flesh

How many tablets to take this time
Keeps her alive
For her children’s sake
Taking them dry
There’s no strength left
To turn on the water
Her hand could break
She needs the bathroom
But doesnt really
It’s just the pills acting silly

She hasn’t eaten so there’s nothing there
Nothing to pass through her
She sits herself down
To cry on her chair
Reaching for the brush
She brushes her hair
Scarce precious hair falls to the floor
She looks to the ground
Before crying some more

Over the mantle her eyes reflect
The pictures all sitting with utter respect
A memory of everyone here in her room
And some she believes
To see very soon

She wonders if her husband is near
To hold her tight
And curb her fear
He was the strong one through the years
A silent giant
Who dried her tears
“Silly old fool looking like this”
She dries her eyes and blows him a kiss

She goes to the room to look out a dress
She passes the mirror
“God what a mess”
With trembling hands
She touches her face
She feels so frail and an utter disgrace
“A massive make over and a few little lies
I’ll be looking my best in my husbands eyes”

She puts on her make up as best as she can
To look her best
In the eyes of her man
She looks out a dress to seduce the pain
She fixes her hair and looks at her frame
“There’s no need to loosen the zip
Being a little loos around the hip”

She puts on their music and turns off the fire
Settling down on her chair to admire
Her lovely husband
She misses so much
She closes her eyes to feel his touch
The door is knocking
And the phones still ringing
As she drifts to Heaven
With the angels singing
The last thing she sees
Is her husbands arms
Beckoning her
With all his charms

“Come here Rose, and have this dance”

© Robert Anderson 2008