Cancer

It happened to her again
10:30 AM over the phone
again
they found it in
a different place
not so serious
but she heard the word
again

"zendegi-ye digeh"
"this is life"
she tells me

I am young
these things don't happen to me
sitting next to her
I realize they can

She reads avidly
the computer screen
pictures
of worse cases
we laugh at the
descriptions
with her dark skin
her case is rare

lots of words
nothing concrete
too many options

health
little cells deciding to
multiply
in the wrong way
eating the wrong things
taking over

the news is cancer itself