by Erica Sison wrote this article.
To body number 1…
Spreading and covering your body
I feel the texture of your skin
Soft to touch yet
Certain parts wrinkling
Are you an elderly woman?
As I dry and harden on you
A bulge is missing on your left side
This asymmetry does not seem to phase
Your mysterious smile or pride
A contentment of your soul is apparent
Your smile and body glow of grace, wisdom, and peace
Inspiration to those who gaze upon you
Because of beams of hope released
A lily replaces the absent symmetry
It suits your very essence
Natural, colorful, innocent
Soft and vulnerable, naked in presence
Baring your body and soul
Still you remain…
Strong, proud, and beautiful
To body number 2…
You are the same yet different than the first
Somehow reverse
In the way, I experience the feel of your skin
It feels unaged…definitely youthful and firm
Defying gravity
Which makes me concerned
Are you young?
Sensing you as I dry and mold
As I take over your form
Expressions tell me you want to cry
Though you seem to fit society’s norm
A physically fit body
Young in your years
Perhaps your asymmetry
May bring out unwanted tears
There is no glow about you
Only a sorrow unexplained
Your face is full of memory and loss
Perhaps there is a way to mend your pain
The pearls on your absent asymmetry
Symbolize beauty and elegance
But also invincibility and fearlessness
Signs of hope for you to take a chance
In believing, you can feel like body number one
Unafraid, comfortable, and fear free
To regain spirit and courage to overcome
Your pain, sadness, and tragedy
To body number 3…
Body texture the same as the first
Only smaller in mass
Yet symmetrical in all places
Different than the last two casts
Transparent expressions
Seem to extend up through your back
Sending volts of energy and empowerment
Ready to gently attack
Those that cross your path
Bathing them in vivacity
Sparking comfort and trust
Replacing unnecessary wrath
The heart you wear
Reflects your life’s philosophy
A symbol of Love meant to be
Shared unconditionally
You also have heart
Causing people to be drawn
To you, giving them hope
And the courage to carry on
This poem was part of the “Lila’s Breast” MPH project at UMDNJ. Students were required to write a poem concerning a cancer display consisting of three plaster castings of women who had a breast removed. Students were assigned a specific point of view (the wound; the surgeon, the missing breast; the cancer; the woman as she awakens; the plaster castings; etc.)
http://boles.com/health/