Dear Survivor,

Dear Survivor,

I encompassed all three germ lines

Revolution I engendered, but your gender was irrelevant

Evolution I contended, but 'tender was impertinent

Mutations attempted improvement, but not this time

I was your illegitimate alien

I ate but didn't sleep

Grew but didn't stop

Invaded but didn't retreat

Fought but didn't surrender

Conquered without remorse

Never to return to well-ordered cellular restraints

To be or not to be, going from not-being to being

Manifest destiny drove me to be and not not-be

From head to toe; from left to right; from fore to aft

From shore to fetid shore; from sea to purulent sea

Malignant tentacles of love were my outstretched, tightly embracing arms

It wasn't you kept or trapped--I was kept and trapped

It was only fair what’s mine was mine and

What’s yours was mine

It was my turn

Taking turns was fair

My intrusion of convexity

Was your concavity

My gain

Was your loss

Wasn't enough room in here for both of us

Me-to-win meant

You lose

I was pluripotent

Totipotent

Omnipotent

I was plural

I was total

I was ominous

Only one could survive

I would prevail

I would be you

I would take names--yours!

It was in the stars

In your genome

In the nucleic acids--one rung on the double helical ladder at a time

You poisoned me with your chemicals--I turned the other cheek

You burned me with your rays--I shined more brightly

You starved me of blood--I sent necrotic toxins to all of your parts

I was a jealous lover and you made me do this

You had it coming

Until:

The rays and the chemicals and the starvation beat me into the ground

Overstood by you, Sursvivor--you are still here

So am I, somewhere

I'll be back

**********

Sincerely, intra remissio, I remain, now and forever,

Your Loving Cancer