A Thousand Wishes

I recall the exact moment when a thousand aspirations

Dissipated and shrank down to just one-

A stark contrast between the before and the after came

And to repeat a cliche, life was never again the same..

*

Diagnosis of a serious illness came as a blow

Though I delivered such news daily, I did not know

How profoundly life-altering the moment could be

When that sentence was delivered to me

*

All my hopes for the future were dashed

All the carefully constructed plans collapsed

As I went through the stages of grief, there was but one thought

Would I get better, and what would happen if I did not

*

Through months of darkness, I emerged on the other side

In “remission”, as my doctor proclaimed with unmistakable pride

I was a changed person, invested solely

In my health, my family and the community

Career achievements, ambitions, all took a backseat

My detachment from the material world seemed complete

*

A few years later, I’ve started making plans

For the future, at present it seems that I can

But I remember the time when my only wish

Was for the cancer to be vanquished

Someone healthy has a thousand wishes, someone ill just one

I’m grateful that the privilege to have hopes I was won..