At The Juvenile Diabetes Walk

There are thousands of us:

Kids with pumps and meters,

Mothers who have learned the math,

Families and friends in bright tee shirts

With hopeful mottos.

The sun has come out,

And we are led to think

This is a rock concert

Or a Mardi Gras parade,

Local news anchor as grand marshal.

I only cry when I think of

His little pancreas shutting down;

That, and all the cheerful tee shirts.

Positive Thinking

People thought not long ago

That cancer could be held at bay

By putting stickers on your car,

Reading Norman Cousins, forming clubs:

Bill Smith’s Unbeatable Team.

A survivor, for a time, at least,

He spoke at our school;

We marveled at his strength of will.

But the daughter of a stricken friend

Came to my office in tears:

My mother doesn’t have a team;

Does that mean she won’t get well?