BRAVE COUNTDOWN by Susie Clevenger

My oldest daughter, Dawn, is one of the strongest women I know. She has battled illness for years, but has never let it define her…

She was diagnosed with several auto immune diseases which later proved to be wrong. I have lost track of the number of surgeries she has endured as physicians searched to find answers.

On November 4^th, 2008 she faced yet another surgery. She was diagnosed with kidney cancer and her left kidney had to be removed. It was so difficult for my husband and me to watch her face another painful hurdle. She had gone through so much and we couldn’t believe she would now have to confront cancer.

Dawn never told us what was going through her mind prior to her surgery or on the day she entered the operating room. She was our comforter when she was the one needing comfort. Her calming spirit infused ours with courage and faith she had angels around her to protect and guide the surgeon’s hand. It was in that moment a divine presence filled each of us with peace to sustain us through this new trial and the days ahead.

Watching Dawn face her Goliaths has given me the courage to confront my own adversaries of fear and self-worth.

~I truly believe my child is an angel sent to show the world how to respond with strength and grace when life hits you with its worst.~

My spiritual journey is no longer just one of lifting up requests, but listening to that still, small voice that brings wisdom and peace.

Dawn is often the muse that guides my pen to write poetry. I wrote the following poem in response to the memory of how strong she was that November day.

'Celestial' by Katarina Silva

Brave Countdown

The morning sun doesn’t know

I will have to be brave.

It rises in the east in ordinary rays.

Another knife has been sharpened

with the letters of my name.

I dread the count to oblivion.

Positive lost its sunny spin

when carvings of flesh

revealed the dreaded word, cancer.

White light stares at me

with its glare of anonymity,

my name already forgotten in sterile walls.

Count down from one hundred.

I don’t wish to mumble in syllables.

Five is a better place to start.

5 (B)

4 (R)

3 (A)

2 (V)

1 (E)

~Photography by the author~

Susie Clevenger is an author, poet, and photographer. She recently published her first poetry collection, Dirt Road Dreams. She is a member of the Academy of American poets, a coordinator for the New World Creative Union, and a member of the online writing community, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads. Her work has been featured online in The Creative Nexus, Poetry & Prose Magazine, The Brinks Gallery, and The Global Twitter Community Poetry Project. You can connect with Susie on her website here and find her book on Amazon here, or find Susie on facebook here.

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~

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