In Honor of October – Breast Cancer Month
As we come to the end of a month drenched in pink, I’d like to share the poem I wrote the night before my first mastectomy. As I sat, weeping, in my favorite green rocker, these lines came to me:
Goodbye, beloved breast
I shall never forget you—
Shall I ever come to the end of grieving?
When first you developed in sweet innocence
I was dismayed—
I was afraid of emerging sexuality…
But you became beautiful
My lover treasured you
My children nuzzled you and were nourished
I cradled you in my hands to cherish your softness…
Now a dark menace has invaded you
And somehow I must bear our parting…
Goodbye, beloved breast
Goodbye, beloved part of me
Goodbye, symbol of my femininity…
(excerpted from Fine Black Lines: Reflections on Facing Cancer, Fear and Loneliness ©1993, 2003 Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad)
As it turned out, this poem became the first of a series of poems which later became part of the above book, along with journal entries, photos, and reflections.