Not yet.

Please,
Not yet.

There are more stories to tell,
And more laughs share.
There is so much to learn,
Too many questions to ask.

Not yet.

Wait ‘til we’re grown.
Wait ‘til my kids are grown.
Wait ‘til we go fishing one more time.
Wait ‘til I’m ready.

Not yet.

Please go away.
You are unsympathetic and unfair.
You are uncompromising and relentless.
You are incurable and irredeemable.

Not yet.

If you stay,
You will steal away something that is not yours to take.
You will leave a void,
Too large to be filled,
With anything else,
But hollowness.
A persistent hurt will linger,
Surrounding,
All-encompassing.
Insurmountable pain.

If you stay,
I will hate you.
More than I already do.
I will cry and I will scream.
I will dwell,
And I will soak,
In my loathing for you,
And I will hate you some more,
And some more,
And some more.

But if you stay,
Know this.
I will not stop remembering.
I will not forget.
I will not stop recollecting,
Time and time again,
The countless memories,
Because those are mine.
They are not yours.
You cannot touch them.
You cannot belittle them,
And you cannot take them.
You are not a winner,
And you will never be.
You lose.
You lose every time,

Because
We
Are
Stronger
Than

Cancer.