Headaches and dizziness
Effected her peace
Time for CAT:
Astrocytoma.
Death Star.
Do or Die
To battle
Stations!
Masked heroes prepare
Sterile theater to end
Sinuated Chthulu’s
Shine; brave Dr.
Ulysses lasered
All but nicked
her amygdala.
Fearless now, she fights all day long….
WhimsyGizmo (aka De) is today’s host of dVerse. De says:
Nick the page with your quill, and pen us a poem of exactly 44 words (not counting the title), but literally including some form of the word nick.
Notes:
CT, or CAT scans, are special X-ray tests that produce cross-sectional images of the body using X-rays and a computer. CT scans are also referred to as computerized axial tomography.
Astrocytomas are a type of cancer of the brain. They originate in a particular kind of glial cells, star-shaped brain cells in the cerebrum called astrocytes. This type of tumor does not usually spread outside the brain and spinal cord and it does not usually affect other organs.
There are two amygdalae per person normally, with one amygdala on each side of the brain. They are thought to be a part of the limbic system within the brain, which is responsible for emotions, survival instincts, and memory. … The amygdala in humans also plays a role in sexual activity and libido, or sex drive. It is also known as the hub of fight/flight/freeze.
Image is of a human astrocyte by Bruno Pascal.
Tao-Talk 
Oh so scary to see those image… the reference to Lovecraft’s monster is perfect
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, Bjorn.
LikeLike
Yes, I loved the Lovecraft reference as well. Very well done. And I pray, NOT autobiographical.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, De. No it isn’t, and thanks for caring <3
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope this is not autobiographical Lisa. The images are frightening.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, Toni, not autobiographical. A colleague of my ex-husband had one years ago and was able to beat it, which was a miracle.
LikeLike
The last line tugs at my heartstrings. Beautiful write.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beverly glad you connected with the poem. Thank you
LikeLike
Very interesting and creative use of a mere 44 words. Fantasy, horror and Sci-Fi morphs into science fact. Thanks for the explication.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Glenn.
LikeLike
Bravery personified!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Vivian.
LikeLike
Oh my this sounds terrifying. Nicely written though and thanks for the info at the end. :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome and thanks.
LikeLike
Really well done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, Phillip.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Breathless! This is wonderful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks very much, Sascha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved this spacey piece Lisa. Kinda cosmic.,
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was written as more of a medical horror story. Your take is more upbeat and free-flowing, so yay :)
LikeLike
Brain cancer is frightening. Your images work well to convey that. (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Kerfe. The guy my ex worked with was able to beat it, but any time you start cutting into the brain it’s a toss of the coin what happens after.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are exceptions, but mostly it runs rampant, even after surgery and chemo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
FIRST: VERY glad to know this is not biographical. My cousin died just two weeks ago – from a brain tumor. So this hits close to home….he fought so hard but it incapacitated him and he died as a shell of the man he was. He served our country in Viet Name — a war that was impugned by many including me….yet he served and came back a different person. I was so very glad that he was provided a military honor guard at his service.
The images that indicate this insidious disease — look like something from the solar system…but are insidious in the death star attack mode.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lillian, please let me offer condolences on your cousin’s passing. From your description, he suffered more than anyone should ever have to suffer, with the war overseas then the war against the disease. It is amazing how much things in our universe can resemble each other but on a different scale of size.
LikeLike
Short but sweet and scary. Nailed it.
If only I could write prose like that! :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much. I bet you can!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like how you wrote that. It’s like sci-fi inner space, a mirror of outer space. Great last line.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, D, and I appreciate your view of the poem.
LikeLike
Thank you. And I mean not just the lovely wording, but ESPECIALLY the reining in of thoughts and economy of words and space !!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much for your kind words.
LikeLike