Malignancy

I drown in your cascade
The flood waters rushing fast
My sense of direction derailed
Under the shadow that you cast

Laying down the rules
It makes you feel so strong
Of course you’re really only
Trying to help me along

You hoist me up on the block
Revealing my ignorance to all
So my wide eyes and confusion
Will keep you from feeling small

Oh but this is the way it’s always been done
And for me it’s so much fun!
Are you paying any attention to who you are?
Perhaps you’re just enslaved by the power to raise the bar

You tell yourself it’s all for me
And make believe it’s such an art
That you’re just making sure I see
And surer still that you feel smart

Consider that this could be wrong
In fact has been so all along
Beatings make me tough and bitter
They do not make me healthy and strong

Whose success is it to be?
What are you without me?
And what are you going to do
When finally, I know more than you?

• Lara Hammond, M.D.
• Surgery