Colostomy Bag - By My Peddayya

 Like my father's older brother, I have a passion for writing. When I'm happy, I write. When I'm upset, I write. When I'm sick, I write. My Peddayya writes often, too. He has his own blogspot where he writes original poetry and publishes it.

As of July 15, 2020, we found out that he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Since then, my dad has been calling him every morning and night to check on how he's doing. In November 2020, he went against all odds and flew himself to India during COVID to meet his brother and stay with him in the hospital after a major surgery. During this time, however, my Peddayya never gave up his thing for writing. On July 15, 2021 (or maybe before that), he published a poem about his struggles with cancer and having a colostomy bag. I found it extremely inspiring and asked him if I could publish it here, and he said I could. So here it is.

Cancer...... Colostomy Bag

By Sheshu Babu Kilambi

Cancer

Is not just a zodiac sign

Like a crab its effects are not benign

It is malign

Life threatening

Physical and mental taxing

Deadly disease

Will not leave body with ease

It seeps into the system

Like corruption in society

And all the healthy cells cease

To exist like virtues

Demolished by vice

Colostomy bag

Hangs like a tag

On the walls of markets

With a darkest

Warning to people

Not to buy commercial food

By some brave NGOs

Not heeded by innocents

And the ignorant masses

Cancer spreads everywhere

And anywhere

Causing excruciating pain

And suffering with strain

Colostomy bag drains

And stores wastage

To be disposed at any stage

Like evil being washed away

Keeping it at bay

The writer is from anywhere and everywhere suffering from adenocarcinoma left colon mets with liver and bones