A very powerful piece indeed

This is excellent, Michael. I like how you've taken the main problem (cancer), twisted it, and allowed it to be seen as a means of escape from the other and lesser problem (prison). And certainly, the pain and torment of both afflictions will at least have an end then.
I hope Andrea likes this as much as I do.

Take care, Michael

Beautifully done Mr D, indeed.
Such a nice rendition
M:)

Piercingly, poignantly beautiful

Michael,

you captured exactly what my Bird has said all along since she was diagnosed last September...
and I quote her "I was inflicted with Cancer so that I could be clean"

My writings for Bird touch a lot of poets and readers and the main reason I write my pain and Birds pain is to let others know they are not alone, to share and to inspire. I'm not handling this nightmare well but each time I write, it frees my mind up some so that I can go to work, get through each day and be as strong as I possibly can for Bird. I keep thinking she will win both battles, but as my Bird is now saying, Ill win when I'm finally at peace ... I thank you for writing this, I adore you my friend.

Don't know what should I or others say in such situations.
But we can surely send lots of hugs to our dear friend Andrea and her daughter.

judges comment

Mr Darcy has taken a tiny poem and struck a chord through as all with a blunt axe. What a way to spin such a thing as awful as cancer. To suggest it will free you from addiction is a brave thing to write and post and also a clever spin on the situation. Reading the comments I can see that he can only take the credit for the former. This poem is tiny but huge in stature. It shows the power of words that are chosen and assembled carefully. (7 points)

This is such a powerful write. I know addiction all too well and I still struggle with something's.

Isn't it heartbreaking that one way someone can be sober from addiction is to get cancer. It really is a sobering experience so to speak. The title really holds an ironic sense of feeling compared to the poem itself. Are they really free, in one sense yes they are, but in another they are not.

Right away you get to the heart of the matter, where you instantly know what the poem is about. The ugly word addiction. There are many different ways that this can go so I am curious (as someone who pretends to comment before I read the poem) to see where this goes.

I didn't expect that second line. Addiction is definitely like our own prison, whether people like to admit it or not. So perhaps this person was addicted to something and a got a sobering wake up call, when they also realized they had cancer.

The ending knocked the breath out of me, and quiet frankly is the perfect ending. Because addiction makes you feel like a caged bird in a prison. And my suspicion was correct. This person who was addicted. Sobered up because of the cancer or that is what it seems. Perfect write.