Poet Dave Morrison Conquers Cancer

Dave Morrison’s life is moving along beautifully as a poet and as a musician—and then he is diagnosed with cancer.

The honest pieces in Cancer Poems speak a truth that too many must face, as in the brutal truth of “Radiation Burns” or in his longest poem, “A Day in the Life of Healing.” We’ve been advised by countless mystics to live in the now, but staying in the “Present Moment” for Dave means that he must accept pain and wait to get back to his life. “Pain I” and “Pain II” hit close to home as I recall doctors and nurses asking my husband, a cancer patient (and survivor!), his pain number (on a scale of 1 to 10) countless times. Routine question, but complicated answer. And the “Un-Sick”? Powerful. We don’t realize how lucky we are until we or a loved one is diagnosed.

His wife is his rock, and “Last Night” spoke to my heart. And yet, through the uncertainty of remission and the agony of treatments and the total shift of the reality he knew, Dave remains a poet. Who but a poet could write: “. . . I allow my pen to skate / lazily over the page creating / what is essentially a daydream.” Dave Morrison, realizing today will not be the day he dies, says, “. . . What shall I do with / this perfect day?”

You shall live and create and be a husband, Dave. And we shall be thankful for your gift of words.

You can support Dave by ordering a signed copy directly from him ($15):

Dave Morrison
3 Park St
Camden, ME 04843

Also, if you like, you can donate a copy to your local library or hospital or cancer center.

It’s available from Amazon as well.

For more about Dave, click here to check out a previous review and interview.