chemotherapy
the cancer was there
at the beginning
and for the longest time
we've been addicted to smoking
the chemotherapy burns
sets fire to the arteries
burning cancerous and healthy alike
our hair falls out
but we beat the cancer back
at least for a while
the cancer remained
always waiting
for a chance
to s p r e a d
killing those parts of you
you never deemed important enough
to see
we think ourselves cured
we keep smoking
we can't breathe
it solves nothing
but we need to smoke
it solves nothing
it's all we can do to quell the anxiety
it solves nothing
it helps us feel in control
it solves nothing
expensive, nasty, brutish habit
and we spend more on it every year
we catch a flu
and have to decide between fighting
the flu that may kill us soon
and
the cancer that kills us every day
the tumours return
spreading, malignant
this far, we say, and no farther
so now it falls to us
we administer the chemotherapy
it burns once more
we will knock this cancer into remission
again
but if you're tired
of having your life
interrupted
by our aggressive course of treatment...
...quit smoking.