Saturday 30 September 2017

Tumour


Oddly,
if searching for a (possible) familial adverse reaction
it would have been an incidental find – a saving find.

But why, as
*“When you hear hoof beats, think of horses not zebras.” 
So horses it is as the zebra runs wild.

(The mind still has it…)

(Somewhere a butterfly flutters – an advent of the storm.)

(There is madness here: 
Please inscribe on my gravestone
I told you so; I really did tell you so!)

Zebra grazes fat on the grass.

(I tell Eddy what the food tastes like as he tells me what it looks like.)

Eddy is dead now, yet I still live (unaware of the chaos to come.)

(The mind still has it…)

Anna :o]

Bjorn at Real Toads has us writing of order in chaos and above is my offering.  It is a true story.

 *"When you hear hoof beats, think of horses not zebras."

Also shared with the good folks at Poets United - cheers Mary!

Image:  Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Author:  Nevit Dilmen (talk)


(Please note that image is not correct to the diagnosis and is not about me, rather someone I love.)

21 comments:

Brendan said...

Butterflies and chaos here ... and dark clouds. This reader found the way in difficult & fraught. Stay with it.

Sarah Russell said...

I am struck by the fractured thoughts one has with this sort of event. You created that fracture, that chaos perfectly.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

This is a very interesting poem, with the horses and zebras and the interspersed dialogue. Quite wonderful to read, Anna.

^.^ said...

I can relate to these rather fractured thoughts, HyperCRYTICAL ... Number 1.) ... When learning stick shift driving and my best friend telling me to JUST PASS, GIRL, DAMNIT, JUST PASS THIS DAMN CAR ... Number 2.) Same friend telling me: SLOW DOWN NOW, GIRL OR U WANT YOUR GODDAMN GRAVE STONE TO READ: BUT SHE WAS RIGHT? ... Any which way, awesome read, maybe new friend ... Love, cat.

brudberg said...

What a great quote to use - the title giving us the answer, the word you cannot really say, the cause of cancer is like butterfly, the advent of storm, love the way you layered the text,

Kim M. Russell said...

Zebras and chaos theory - what a wonderful combination, Anna!I love the way the poem starts with 'Oddly' and the lines:
'But why, as
*“When you hear hoof beats, think of horses not zebras.”
So horses it is as the zebra runs wild.'
This is so poignant and heartbreaking:
'Eddy is dead now, yet I still live (unaware of the chaos to come.)'
I know that feeling.

Sanaa Rizvi said...

This is so beautifully haunting..!

Anonymous said...

A broken mirror of a poem. Hard to stare into because of the truth evident. Magnificent writing.

indybev said...


Somehow chaotic and unsettling to read ... but I LIKE zebras!

Maude Lynn said...

Beautifully done. I've been a zebra for years; it's not at all pleasant.

Magaly Guerrero said...

I think the zebras are always hiding behind the horses, snickering.

Alison H said...

I really enjoyed it, although it was disconcerting. It was fractured and felt like how fractured things are when they are unexpected and cannot be put back together.

Mary said...

Always good when 'the mind still has it.' Then there is hope.

ZQ said...

Had to re-read and found it profound...
ZQ

Nicholas said...

This was intriguing. Blessed day my friend!

Donna@LivingFromHappiness said...

What an interestingly crafted poem...layers using a wonderful quote!

Wendy Bourke said...

An intriguing 'take' on the prompt of 'chaos' - more so for its basis in reality.

Thotpurge said...

horses not zebras.. what a fascinating line of thought. Intriguing.

Gillena Cox said...

Very interesting read

much love...

Bekkie Sanchez said...

I enjoyed your take!

Patsy said...

I'm not really sure I understand all of this, but you've got me thinking about the way our brains respond to stimuli such as sound – and getting the reader thinking must be a good result.