The Cancer Poetry Project

The Cancer Poetry Project is a really cool project that I ran across while surfing the net.  A book compiled of poems, the mission of the project is to "capture the cancer experience".  Some of the poems I read were sad, and some happy.  They were all written by cancer patients, or their families. 

Here is an excerpt from the book:

FAREWELL TO HAIR
by Terri Hanson

I stood outside on a windy day
and ran my fingers through my hair.
Long strands of silky threads
blew across the lawn.
They glistened in the sun,
too many to count.
I imagined a nest,
lined with my mane,
woven by a mama bird.
The babies nestled,
snug inside,
warmed by my fallen tresses.
Now on the wintry nights,
when my head is cold,
I pull my wool cap
over my ears and smile
as I dream of baby birds
sleeping in my hair.



Have you faced cancer in one form or another?  There is an open call for poetry submissions that will run through 4/30/2012.  Check it out here!

You can purchase a copy of last year's edition at amazon, or directly from the project's website (link above).