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Pain Is Weakness/
Pain Is A Crutch

07/27/06

Pain is a crutch
is on a t-shirt I own

marines wore that t-shirt
in my brother-in-law’s division

says something about strength,
determination

and when the first round of chemo
didn’t get my mother’s leukemia
into remission
when they told my mother
about hospice care
she traveled across the country
for a better hospital
and her second round of chemo

says something about strength,
determination

and when rounds of chemo
didn’t work
she decided to forgo
any addition experimental treatments

so I reminded her
of the strength of her father
for when he had cancer
and the doctors said
he had six months to live

he lived for six years

###

you know, I heard that a sage said
“pain is weakness leaving the body”

and maybe all my mother wants now
is for the pain to leave her now,
leave her in peace for good

but I keep remembering
that we come from a long line of fighters

and although pain may be weakness
although pain may be a crutch
well, when there’s enough pain
maybe we can use it all
as a pair of crutches
to help us get through anything


Copyright © 2006 Janet Kuypers.

U.S. Government Copyright © 2004
Chicago Poet Janet Kuypers
on all art and all writings on this site completed
before 6/6/04. All rights reserved. No material
may be reprinted without express permission.


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