Beep Beep Beep
My 500 word narrative poem
written by Joshua Khosrowabadi, Year 11
Joshua Khosrowabadi, Year 11
Joshua Khosrowabadi, Year 11
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The life machine said,
The woman lay dying,
Slumped in her bed.
Fighting for life,
For well over a year,
Her life essence starting,
To slowly disappear.
Given three months,
But fought for a year,
Just to see her grandson,
Before she would no longer be here.
Fought for her daughter,
Fought for her life,
Fought for the battle,
The grieving and strife.
Cancer was killing her,
That much she knew,
She refused to die easily,
But what else could she do?
She grew tired,
But would not give in,
She would fight all she could,
Even though she knew she cannot win.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The life machine said,
She refused to give up,
She did not want to be dead.
The battle was vain,
Her struggle was real,
It was nearing completion,
Her life was the deal.
She was not going to stop,
She will fight and she will fight,
Taking on the cancer,
By day and by night.
With regular visits,
From her family and friends
Giving her all that she needed,
All the love and new strength.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The life machine said,
The woman still fighting,
Keep going, said her head.
The fight was like a race,
The cancer in first,
She was in a close second,
Her energy waiting to burst.
Her will was unmatched,
Her life was still safe,
She would live to fight,
For another day.
Those restless nights,
With struggles and all,
But she refused to answer,
The nearing death call.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The life machine said,
The woman lay fighting,
Still in her bed.
Still eating and drinking,
And finding new strength,
The battle was not over,
She would go the full length.
Fighting for life,
Shocking her carers,
Who gave her three months,
But its been now a year.
She would fight all she would,
Never give up,
Though her life was draining,
And her time almost up.
She lay there tired,
Her strength almost gone,
The cancer was on a warpath,
Reality starting to dawn.
She fought back,
With newfound strength,
When will the battle be over?
When will she give in?
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The life machine said,
Her life in the balance,
Her figure still laying in bed.
She lay there fighting,
But she was unable,
To delay her death,
It was all but inevitable.
NO! She would say,
I am not losing now,
I am bringing this cancer,
Straight to the ground.
I’ll conquer this foe,
With all that I strive,
I will not die,
I’m staying alive!
The battle entered,
Into next gear,
She would not survive,
For another year.
The best she could do,
Was delay all she could,
With her life in the balance,
Her condition not good.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEEEP!
The life machine said,
There she lay limp,
Still on her bed.
The battle was over,
The cancer had won,
She died in her sleep,
And the next morning was gone.
Reflection
The inspiration for this piece draws really close to my heart. It has been thirteen years since my grandmother on my mother’s side passed away due to terminal pancreatic cancer. She was a fighter though, that much was true. She, like in the poem, was given less than three months, but fought for over a year. She died in 2005, but in her sleep, which is what she wanted as that is the most peaceful way to die. She held a very close place to my heart, and even though I was only three years, I understood enough to know that things were not right. My mother, rightfully so, was distraught with sadness and despair, and my dad passing away in 2007 was no help at all. This poem that I made came straight from my heart, like my last one. I just felt an urge to type up a poem about my grandmother’s intense struggle with terminal cancer, and it just went from there. My proudest part of the poem has to be the very end, because that drew a lot of emotion out of me, and hopefully other people that may read this piece of my work.