On The Other Hand
Contributed by Rivka Chana Zorea
On the other hand...
I lost fingernails
And toenails
...but I can still walk.
I lost my hair,
My eyelashes,
My eyebrows,
...but I can still see.
I endured diarrhea,
Constipation, cramping,
Nausea,
...but I don't have Crohn’s disease.
My face broke out,
My body had rashes,
My mouth had sores,
...but I did not have leprosy.
I had my breast, as familiar
To myself as my face,
Cut off and tossed aside,
...but I am alive.
I am here.
I am a survivor.
I am a winner.
I had cancer, but it did not have me!