Breaking Through the Storms, Parts 7 and 8

7.

Sister, please don’t be upset.
There’s nothing for you to do.
I’m just letting you know how hard this is,
How scared I can get, the truth.
Crying out of character, she says,
I will help you any way I can,
If you need one, I will be your donor.
That’s not how it’s done anymore,
I sigh at her need to go to lengths
To feel the depth of fear herself,
And say, But I appreciate the gesture.

8.

Mom and Dad,
Don’t be concerned
When I’m out of touch.
I must progress from
Being sick back into life,
Concentrate on living
Not the destiny of dying.
Test results can no longer be
The only subject of discussion.

©️ 2025 Laura E. Garrard

Laura E. Garrard is a multiple myeloma thriver and published author living in the Northwest. Her poetry and prose have appeared in journals like The Madrona Project, Amethyst, Silver Birch, TulipTree Review, and others. Garrard has been chosen as a finalist for Bellevue Literary Review's John & Eileen Allman Prize for Poetry and nominated for a Pushcart Prize.