Recently Ryan gave us the following prompt for the men with cancer writers group: “I want you to humanize cancer. What would it look like? Would it be male or female? Imagine meeting cancer on the street — what would you say?”
This is what I wrote:
Cancer is a Titan. He owns a large fraction of humanity’s health, but always seeks more. His motto is: “Our business is growth and more is never quite enough.”
Cancer dresses for his part in a variety of costumes and guises, often looking very sinister and greedy, like Snidely Whiplash on steroids. I’m walking down the street of life, minding my own business, walking a healthy walk, avoiding trap doors and other risk factors. I’ve heard of this guy Cancer but never expected to meet him on my street.
“I’ve decided to develop some real estate in your chest; we will be building several condos and a strip mall,” Cancer says.
I say, “This real estate is not for sale, at any price, and the right of ownership is enforced by the Rule of Law, according to the Constitution of this Body. I will fight this development of yours to my very last breath.”