www.canadianstories.net

Volume 20, Number 114,
April/May 2017


What Do You Do?
by Fay Herridge

What do you do when there is no hope,
When the disease that you have iS incurable?
They can buy you some time with surgery and treatment -
But how much time
And at what cost.
The treatment itself can be hard on the system
And offers no real guarantee;
I’ve seen others go through it and I’m not so sure
That it’s the right course for me

What do you do when dreams fall apart
And your plans for the future cannot be fulfilled?
When you know you’re facing the worst of the worst -
You’re not prepared
For the hand you’ve been dealt,
And the battle ahead seems to be all uphill.
Increasing frustration sets in;
Your spirits are low and you question the point
Of trying to do anything.

What do you do when you’re feeling alone
And you’re wondering what happens next?
It feels like no one understands your situation -
Friends come to visit,
Unsure what to say;
And you’re shocked by the pity you see in their eyes.
Though you’re grateful they think of you;
You might be better off if they left you alone
To deal with it in your own way.

What do you do when the end is in sight
And you feel that your life is just slipping away?
For you know that this battle is one you can’t win -
How long will it take
And how bad will it get
Before you decide you can’t take any more?
The pain is unbearable but morphine kills the brain.
You’re damned if you don’t and damned if you do -
It’s a real ‘catch twenty-two’.

Note: This poem was inspired by the Canadian TV series
“Mary Kills People”, which deals with euthanasia.