Lie here.
Turn on your side.
Stay on your back.
Lie on your stomach.
Most importantly, don’t move.
We’ll tell you when to breathe.
You’ll feel a little poke.
Close your fist.
Open your fist.
Sit in this chair.
Would you like a blanket?
Wait here.
Watch the drip, drip, drip.
Come back for a shot tomorrow.
Take a nap.
But not too many naps.
Don’t forget to exercise!
Eat this.
Take this supplement.
Did I tell you how my sister-in-law
went vegan after she was diagnosed?
She didn’t even lose her hair.
My aunt died of this,
such horrible suffering.
Be brave!
Avoid this chemical.
It’s in everything you eat, drink, and wear.
Have you tried the keto diet?
I’ve got some essential oils for you.
Read this book.
Join this group.
Buy this lotion.
You’ve got this!
Karen Steiger is a poet and breast cancer survivor living in Schaumburg, Illinois. She is the founder of her poetry blog, The Midlife Crisis Poet (www.themidlifecrisispoet.com), and her work has been published in The Wells Street Journal, Black Bough Poetry, Perhappened, Kaleidotrope, Mineral Lit Mag, Rejection Letters, Versification, and others.