“Rooted,” a poem by Joseph Jablonski
“I always believe, no matter what the doctor says, that I will be cured,” she says as her sister sits next to her.
This patient’s calm confidence radiates in front of me. They received a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer nearly five years ago, but she says it only started showing intense symptoms within the past six months. Her faith in God and in nature give her strength in this time.
She expresses how she believes in natural remedies as critical to her success, telling me how God gives us natural things to help us heal our bodies. She mentions physical aides like teas and herbs, and medicines of the mind like prayer and mental imaging.
While she is still receiving chemotherapy today, she recounts stories of others in groups she has attended, who, relying on these remedies alone, were able to stay healthy. When she speaks about her motivation to be healthy, she speaks about her four-year-old granddaughter, a sweet and intelligent girl who is deeply connected to her family. “She can feel your energy,” she says as her sister nods in agreement.
Joseph Jablonski, Listener Poet
Inova Schar Cancer Institute
March 2024
Rooted
I reach into
The garden
with God.
Pull the leaves,
Steeped and
Tinctured.
Rest in my
Mind,
The best healer.
My breath catches more
Now.
But the Lord
Plants His breath
In me.
Shows how
To be an example in
Groups in a
Garden bed.
Some testify
In palmed prayer hands
Of the sun.
The roots,
They are unseen,
But they give me
Connection.
A granddaughter,
My stem,
Sweet and intelligent.
Even at four,
She knows me
Without mention.
She will rise
From the soil
I set for her.
