After the Diagnosis I Spend My Days by Michelle Meyer

After the Diagnosis I Spend My Days

cutting & pressing the water
out of the tofu, cutting
& washing & chopping
the garden greens, shredding
the carrots, peeling
so slowly
the earliest beets, pulling
mercilessly, the weeds
reading, walking, watching
the sky, sleeping
with my head at the foot of the bed
while the fan blows
away some of the humidity,
but not all of it, blocks
some of the early birdsong,
but not all of it, coffee
in the morning, clouds
in the afternoon, flowers
in the evening.
It’s enough.

by Michelle Meyer

Instagram: @meeshmeyerwrites

Editor’s Note: This excellent poem says exactly enough for the reader to understand the delicate balance between acceptance, grief, understanding, joy, and illness.