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In January
I read Jill Ker Conway
And volunteered in a charming second-hand book store,
Wolverine Farm
Specializing in local and sustainable fare.
I wrote pieces for their blog
And priced vintage books.
I started rehearsals for The Tempest
And learnt about scansion, meter, and metaphor.
I ran the streets of Fort Collins
And felt fit
In February
I researched my play
Went to my first stitch n’ bitch
Tried to stay warm in the polar vortex,
Cycled the length and breadth of Fort Collins
Going between babysitting, rehearsals, and the book store.
In March
I performed in my first Shakespeare
And fell in love with the good people of OpenStage Theatre
I saw the touring company of West Side Story
And marveled at the show’s ability to still reduce me to tears.
I started volunteering at Happy Heart Farm
And planted tiny shoots of leeks, potatoes, peas, and cabbages
With kind souls and happy spirits.
I made meditation videos and posted them online
In April
I read Joan Dye Gussow and stories of pioneer women
And transferred seedlings from the green house to the earth
The Tempest played on
I shared meditation with new friends
The farmer’s markets moved back outside
I started running with a new friend and despite her energy, felt exhausted
In May
We went camping in the Poudre Canyon
And walked around the stupa
We packed our little Fort Collins home into the car
And said goodbye to Colorado
We drove across country and stayed with friends in Cleveland, Chicago, Lynchburg, and Richmond
We said goodbye to Ruth
In June
We found a Brooklyn apartment to live in
I signed up with a temping agency and worked for the first time in NYC
We headed up to camp
We staged Avenue Q in 3.5 weeks
I felt continually exhausted and on the brink of breaking point
In July
I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia
And told I had a month to live.
July to December became cancer, cancer, cancer
And chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow stem cell transplant
And being the sickest I’ve ever been
And feeling loved by friends and family all across the globe
And having access to the best medical treatment
And healing slowly
And becoming cancer free again
In August we moved to Brooklyn
Aaron collected the keys whilst I was still in hospital
In September
I turned thirty
And couldn’t believe the circumstances
The next day I started a second round of chemo
In October
I was re-admitted to hospital for the transplant
My sister and Mum flew in from Australia
My immune system was wiped out by radiation and chemotherapy
And replaced with stem cells formerly belonging to my sister,
Now in a novelty-sized syringe
In November
I healed slowly at home
Lay fetal on the couch feeling exhausted and broken
I read Lena Dunham and Neil Patrick Harris and Cary Elwes
And started learning Danish
In December
I remained fetal
And wished the new year would come
The new year when I would be healed
And this dream would all be behind us
And we could be in NYC
And live and work and play.
I read Jill Ker Conway
And volunteered in a charming second-hand book store,
Wolverine Farm
Specializing in local and sustainable fare.
I wrote pieces for their blog
And priced vintage books.
I started rehearsals for The Tempest
And learnt about scansion, meter, and metaphor.
I ran the streets of Fort Collins
And felt fit
In February
I researched my play
Went to my first stitch n’ bitch
Tried to stay warm in the polar vortex,
Cycled the length and breadth of Fort Collins
Going between babysitting, rehearsals, and the book store.
In March
I performed in my first Shakespeare
And fell in love with the good people of OpenStage Theatre
I saw the touring company of West Side Story
And marveled at the show’s ability to still reduce me to tears.
I started volunteering at Happy Heart Farm
And planted tiny shoots of leeks, potatoes, peas, and cabbages
With kind souls and happy spirits.
I made meditation videos and posted them online
In April
I read Joan Dye Gussow and stories of pioneer women
And transferred seedlings from the green house to the earth
The Tempest played on
I shared meditation with new friends
The farmer’s markets moved back outside
I started running with a new friend and despite her energy, felt exhausted
In May
We went camping in the Poudre Canyon
And walked around the stupa
We packed our little Fort Collins home into the car
And said goodbye to Colorado
We drove across country and stayed with friends in Cleveland, Chicago, Lynchburg, and Richmond
We said goodbye to Ruth
In June
We found a Brooklyn apartment to live in
I signed up with a temping agency and worked for the first time in NYC
We headed up to camp
We staged Avenue Q in 3.5 weeks
I felt continually exhausted and on the brink of breaking point
In July
I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia
And told I had a month to live.
July to December became cancer, cancer, cancer
And chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow stem cell transplant
And being the sickest I’ve ever been
And feeling loved by friends and family all across the globe
And having access to the best medical treatment
And healing slowly
And becoming cancer free again
In August we moved to Brooklyn
Aaron collected the keys whilst I was still in hospital
In September
I turned thirty
And couldn’t believe the circumstances
The next day I started a second round of chemo
In October
I was re-admitted to hospital for the transplant
My sister and Mum flew in from Australia
My immune system was wiped out by radiation and chemotherapy
And replaced with stem cells formerly belonging to my sister,
Now in a novelty-sized syringe
In November
I healed slowly at home
Lay fetal on the couch feeling exhausted and broken
I read Lena Dunham and Neil Patrick Harris and Cary Elwes
And started learning Danish
In December
I remained fetal
And wished the new year would come
The new year when I would be healed
And this dream would all be behind us
And we could be in NYC
And live and work and play.
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