Cancer | Teen Ink

Cancer MAG

December 21, 2008
By Mary Arbor SILVER, San Diego, California
Mary Arbor SILVER, San Diego, California
5 articles 0 photos 0 comments

So maybe this is all we have
Diet Coke and cigarettes as supplements for all our hearts' desires.
The lethal combination of caffeine and nicotine
Erasing all our used-to-be's.
This is all that's left.

All promises shattered, each ounce of hope broken,
Our only stability remaining between shaky fingers
Holding the fiery stick of life-or-death
Depending on the way you look at it.

Cancer, they screamed at us.
As if we hadn't heard.
But cancer of the lungs was the least of our worries.

The cancer is everywhere.
Hidden in dark alleys where young girls find the wrong kind of love,
Tucked away between the lies whispered across oceans.
The cancer is everything.
And somehow, all logic has been lost
After the f***ed-up rationalization that tells us we will be okay.

Just breathe. Inhale. Exhale.
We constantly remind ourselves
Between drags of our enemy,
Nicotine shooting straight into our heads
Igniting an eerie calmness within our hearts.
Caffeine pumping through our veins,
Keeping us awake. Keeping us alive.
Inhale. Exhale.
Leaned against parked cars on cold December nights,
The cancer grows, slowly taking over,
As the stolen glances of harsh passersby whisper
There is no way she's 18.
The cancer is now within us.
Inhale. Exhale.
This is all we have.



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This article has 3 comments.


TTTeeSS GOLD said...
on Apr. 18 2012 at 7:50 am
TTTeeSS GOLD, La Porte, Colorado
17 articles 6 photos 69 comments

Favorite Quote:
There is no such thing as nothing, yet there is such thing as nothing, simply because there is nothing such as nothing.

Very dark. I have to hope this isn't from personal experience, but I liked it.

on Feb. 5 2010 at 11:17 am
FlamingTaco1479 SILVER, Spring Mills, Pennsylvania
8 articles 8 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
"When life gives you lemons, hold onto them. They're free lemons!"

Haunting and beautiful. This truly is art.

on Feb. 1 2010 at 7:48 pm
dancewritedream SILVER, S. Dartmouth, Massachusetts
5 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Masquerading as a normal person day after day is exhausting."

so very very sad and dark. I loved it just for these reasons. It's very true and well-written. Lovely!