Big C... voting

Please read each of the following poems, then PM me with the number of the ONE poem you would like to see win.
ONE VOTE ONLY.
Anyone can vote, so please do.

Good luck all.
Winner will be announced Monday night.

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#1
Old Soldier (my Dad)

The Lord looked down on you today
he said "Old soldier, walk this way.
You're weary now, your race has run
it's time that you hung up your gun.
The road's been long, the battle tough
you've fought well but, you've had enough.
You're excused from duty, the job's complete
now it's time to rest and put up your feet".

And, following orders, you slipped away
leaving before I had time to say
"I love you and I'm both proud and glad
that you, old soldier, were my dad".

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#2
Fifty Poems. A Love Story

The year was 1957 when he married his bonnie lass
they vowed to love each other 'til one of them did pass.
Each anniversary he wrote a poem, telling her how much he cared
words confirming to her, a love that they still shared.

Tonight was no exception, as loving words he read
but this year was quite different and, he wondered if she heard.
Reminding her of a promise made so many years ago
that their love would last forever and he'd never let her go.

She'd been his friend and lover, his wife and soul mate too
now, loosing the battle with cancer he knew what he must do.
Drinking martini cocktails something they'd done for many a year
he stroked her silky snow white hair and kissed and held her near,
whispering a last goodbye he gazed into her eyes
"Thank you, my darling, I love you" she said softly with a sigh.

Sipping the last drop from his glass he penned a final goodbye,
then lay down beside his lass knowing soon that they'd both die.

They found them lying together, the letter held tightly in one hand
"Please forgive me Dear Lord, but I hope you understand.
I made this promise to my lass many years ago
that I would never leave her, I would never let her go".

Fifty poems he left there, on the table by their bed
worn pieces of paper, a love story to be read.

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#3
Metastasis

I was nine when I first woke up
to the roaring of F-16s
ripping our skies.
A villager came running my way,
shrieking with a torn voice,
"The cancer woke up again!".

I was too young back then
to know what he meant.
Plus, everything in front of my eyes
turned, in less than ten seconds,
white
black
red...

Today, my mother tunes the TV
on the sight of the same F-16s
that raped my homeland,
only this time to see them raping a neighboring land.

10
1000
10000 between injured and dead,
and the cancer we were diagnosed with still grows wilder.

"What will you be when you grow up, son?"
"A doctor" - I didn't have to ponder my answer.
"To cure the injured?"
"No, to ablate that..", and I pointed at the TV where the tumor is in metastasis in the Northern west of the Middle East,
"cancer".

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#4
Untitled

This won't be very long, I promise,
because words aren't substitutes for memories
and I'm sorry I can't recall all the details,
all the stories you would share during
tangerine sunsets in a small Indiana town.
I grew up with you as my grandpa and my
next door neighbor. You would proudly tell
whoever you met about your granddaughter,
though we were never related by blood.
You were my mom's best friend.
If she disappeared for a few hours, I could
always open the window halfway and see
two porch chairs alive with smiles and laughter.
Never did you let doubt creep in, until
pancreatic cancer gave you limits and
slowly, I watched positivity strain your face.

But you were trying...

There is only one day I replay in my mind now,
weeks before Christmas when we visited you
at the rehab center.
You were vehemently sick, apologizing for
not being able to speak much or sit upright,
like that mattered to me.
My mom and I stayed with you through that
rough moment and when it was our time to go,
before closing the door, I whispered
I love you, and you replied, I love you too.
Those were the last words we shared, the
last sounds you made but God, those are beautiful words.
To be able to love and express that love is a gift.

Your funeral was not what I had feared,
bagpipes and gunshots on a chilly day, no,
it was the visitation, where I felt I had to make
a formal goodbye.
Firefighters from our town were dressed in uniform
to read a fireman's prayer, in honor of your fifty
years of service...
everyone had a hard time keeping tears in.
I never knew how uncontrollable my emotions were
until that night, but I asked for a minute alone,
and I kissed your folded hands and spoke my goodbye.
Perhaps that was the closure I needed to bless
you though I know angels had already lifted your spirit.

God is cradling you now...

I promised this wouldn't be long, I'm sorry it is.
But I'm done apologizing for remembering.
Because when we can share, we can reach out,
and it is then our hearts grow and learn a love
humanity had been holding back for so long.

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#5
Chain Smoker

He crushed the butt of his
cigarette into the sun-bleached
turtle shell ashtray he's had
since he started smoking at
age seventeen.

Almost instantly,
he dragged his engraved
Zippo lighter from his
pocket and picked up
his third pack of the day.

My gaze insinuated my
disapproval -

with a doleful smile,
he took a lingering draw,
blowing the smoke
through his nostrils
like a bull and wheezed,

"What does it
matter now, anyway?"

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#6
Unwanted Growth

In an organ you grimly grow
before we have a change to know
what exactly you're made of.
God forbid you came from above
You took my sister and my dad
you took the best friend I had
I still refuse to live in fear,
some say that's brought you here,
with bad habits and poor diet,
silent killer you are so quit,
I pray for healing, and remission
of those you put in bad position.
You can destroy our plans and goals,
but you can't touch our hearts and souls.

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All six of these poems hold so much power and depth, I cried with every one.. Cancer is taking so many lives and has plagued my Husband as well- So I want to thank all of the writers who entered this ... powerful poetry!

Well done all 6 poets, I've picked a favourite, looking forward to seeing the results and who wrote what :)

I have also voted. Wonderful pieces. All extremely worthy of a win.

Woo hoo people are actually voting!!

:)

Thank you for all who have voted so far.