Ode to My Tumor, Louis Faber (June 2026)

 

Ode to My Tumor

I suppose I should bid you
a proper farewell, take the high road
although you have done nothing at all
to warrant my courtesy.
But since you are now biding
your final days, trapped in the knowledge
that your end is approaching
I can be minimally magnanimous.
How does it feel to be 
on death row waiting, knowing
that your end is inevitable 
and quickly approaching?
Do you sense the irony of all of this,
you now in a place I was certain
you had put me only weeks ago
when they first found you?
I will not miss you, no one would,
but you strangely have given me
a certain peace of mind, for there
are no others like you lurking.
I’m not sure what words
are best for saying farewell
to an uninvited tumor so I’ll leave 
it at goodbye for you won’t fare well.