TWO POEMS

 

by April Jones

        

                                                                                          

     The Survivor

 

I faced the dying of the light,

I faced that well-worn path,

And try, though try I might,

I felt the demon's wrath.

 

"It's never going to be me,

I never felt that way,

I'll never face it, you will see,"

I cried until that day.

 

I knew just what I'd do, of course,

Where I'd go, and who I'd see,

What I'd eat and wear, to force

The demon to its knees.

 

I knew what kind of patient,

What kind of person I would be.

And I am thankful for the patience

Of those who let me just be me.

 

There was no magic pill to try,

No way to cheat the game,

There was no true reason why

The demon chose my name.

 

I faced the dying of the light,

And still my strength prevailed,

I looked into that dark night

My fear so thinly veiled.

 

I met some along the way

Who I have left behind,

Alas, they could not stay,

But shall live on in my mind.

 

There were some hands for me to hold,

They raised me as to climb,

They held me when the night was cold,

Their love and will fuelled mine.

 

I faced the dying of the light,

I felt hopelessness grow,

And yet my star's still shining bright

And all I love still shines below.

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     The Companion

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So close and yet so far are we,

As one and as apart as we can be,

You were a love, a rock, a friend,

A heart and soul without an end,

A tower that could never fall,

And yet something loomed above it all.

 

So close and yet so far are we,

There is so much we had to see,

There was so much I wished to do

That I only wished to do with you.

Please carry on strong as before,

Please fight - I do not ask for more.

 

So far and yet so close are we,

You hope this is close as I'll be,

You hope I'll never know your pain,

But, dear, I feel it all the same,

Your heart and mine beat in a sync

No amount of pain shall break that link.

 

So far and yet so close are we,

I wish I could at your side always be,

The times we get to spend together

Are magic that goes on forever,

And the time that we spend driven apart

Is salt rubbed into my aching heart.

 

So very close to me you are,

However near and however far,

In body, mind, or soul you go

The river of our bond will always flow

With a raging tide that fights all fate,

Right up and through the final gates.

 

So very close I feel to you,

I wish there was anything I could do,

I wish I could somehow let you know

How far for you I'd love to go,

I try to listen, and I try my best,

Whether you want the world or just some rest,

I'll bring down for you the stars and moon,

I want to heal you, and heal you soon,

I may be stubborn or soft at times

But I cannot help this love of mine,

Whatever happens, remember for me

As it has always been, it will be:

My love for you, your love for me,
However far, so very close are we.

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                                      RIH Whitney

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April Jones is a licensed social worker, organization psychologist, educator, and author. She writes about social causes, and to keep her promise to her beloved cousin, Whitney Charday Jones to raise awareness about triple negative breast cancer.