MAKING A CLEAN BREAST OF IT

She was washing her body in the shower last night
but instead of sweet pleasure it gave her a fright.
The thing that all women secretly fear
had happened to her, that’s why she was here.

No sleep to be found as she lay by his side,
wondering how he would fare if she died.
How she adored him, this man in her bed;
her life or a breast? Why she’d rather be dead!

The stories she’d heard from women she met
filled her with dread of the looks she might get.
Though many men saw beneath the physical shell,
for some a disfigurement’s their idea of hell.

Not a word had she uttered about what she found,
she would only inform him if her worries were sound.
She prayed to the Powers to spare her from this,
let her union continue in ignorant bliss.

A call to her doctor had won her the right
to find out the answers she sought all last night.
What if he reinforced her deepest of fears,
the thought of that future brought her to tears.

It took all her courage to walk through the door
on trembling legs and scared to her core.
Her husband loved fondling her beautiful breast,
how would he react if she had a scarred chest?

She knew she should trust in his love for her soul
but what if he wanted a body that’s whole?
Would she be alluring still in his eyes?
Would he turn away like some other guys?

Her name now is called so she steadies her nerves,
a prayer on her lips for the life she deserves.
She loved him despite changes brought on by age,
he should feel the same at this critical stage.

The moment of truth was not far away,
he’d show what he’s made of by the end of this day.
If a cancerous growth was the card she’d been dealt
then she’d soon find out what he really felt.

All her adult life she had dreaded this day,
her mother had died from it only last May.
She’d noticed her man curl his lips in disgust
when he caught a glimpse of her mom’s ruined bust.

It might be different when he looks her way,
but to tell the truth she just couldn’t say.
Given a choice she’d prefer ignorant bliss,
yet God and Nature may not grant her this.

Pray for this woman I’ve given no name,
for it could be you who bears her shame.
Unless we see beauty as what lies within
more women will choose death and give in.

© Sandra Anne Beal