My Burning Chemotherapy

by Shawn McCann

Violating you inside,
sticking like pesticide

to your cells. You’re going
to die, not knowing your time.

And then, you survive,
but the air is no sweeter;

it is seared, black fibers
attacking the atmosphere.
​
I wonder when the end—no,
war never leaves.

Leave me, then, the refuge
of poetry, my burning

chemotherapy.

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Shawn McCann is a poet, writer, husband, stay-at-home dad, and a disabled combat veteran who served four tours in Iraq. He writes about those terrifying moments that disabled him. His stories and poems try to find some beauty and humor in all the sadness of war. You can find some of his work in the Nude Bruce Review and The Raven Review, with more on the way.