Today I learned my cancer diagnosis
And obviously I was stunned to hear
The implications of my poor prognosis
As I filled with anxiety and fear
How is it now that at so young an age
My life should suddenly come to an end
Am I mature enough to reach the stage
Where life can take so tortuous a bend
This morning all my worries were financial
Could I afford a new car; pay the bills
It now all seems so very unsubstantial
Compared to having this disease that kills
I cannot die right now, I've things to do
I need to raise my children and what's more
My obligations are long overdue
I cannot pass through any final door
But suddenly I have to stop ignoring
The transient state of what seemed so secure
Best not to waste my energy abhorring
This illness which seems not to have a cure
I feel so all alone and isolated
Yet I am not the first to wonder why
My insight into life was so belated
But that itself is no reason to cry
So as I say goodbye to those I know
My consciousness is quickly slipping by
My thoughts and dreams and cares begin to slow
As peacefully I drift and then I die
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I can relate to this as I had personal tragedy of watching my brother slowly die of cancer. The poem tells us of the thoughts and wishes of the dying man -yet death is not really the end but the beginning of eternal life with God. So there we have hope.