Code red
He brought me tea at 3:00 am.
His eyes looked tired yet determined.
I didn't ask how he managed,
for fear that he would lie.
Maybe he also didn't sleep;
his mind was consumed with the clock.
Maybe he was watching DNS counts,
wondering if the air might not go.
Maybe the doctor talked about blood transfusion,
worried about its side effects.
Maybe it's my last bone marrow,
a hopeful, sweet end.
Maybe it's my last day,
as the story was supposed to end.
Maybe it's my last chemo,
the battle that I lost.
I drank a sip of thoughts with tea.
Maybe it's a code red,
an alarm to close the chapter.
Welcome back to oncology.
Finally I have relapsed.
- Vishwanath

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