"Brain Freeze," A Poem by Susan Rubin

I'd like you to know about my friend, Susan. She's smart and funny and one of my heroes. Susan does not let go. She pushes and prods the experts until they recognize her chemo-related disabilities and provide resources for her and others.  She sends them copies of our book so they'll see the research and understand that chemo brain is real. 

But Susan continues to struggle.  Here's her beautiful poem...

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Brain Freeze

By Susan Rubin

Long Island, NY

It is a homonym 

You know 

But unexpected 

The sensual taste 

Of the ice cream 

And the awakening of the freeze

Hands caressing the 

Invasion of the forehead 

That subsides so 

Quickly

Brain freeze 

It is a homonym you know 

The traveling vemon 

The red toxicity 

Hammering the brain 

Exploding the fronal lobes 

Frozen 

Forever

I tentatively refused 

The potent 

That would increase my odds 

He called me 

The oncologist 

“If it was my wife” 

Well there you go 

Go no further

I opted for 

The odds for survival 

He did not tell me 

Nobody did 

Fighting the odds 

By a few percentage 

Was in leiu of a 

Clouded mind

The red poured in 

The brain cells flowed out 

In a free flow 

Attacking the road map 

Of my survival 

My memory 

My Attention 

My Problem solving 

My recall 

My ease 

The brutally of 

A red IV