WHERE HAS THE COMPASSION GONE? WHO IS RESPONSIBILE...US,THEM OR NO ONE??

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  Posted by PoetWithCancer Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:21pm PST

  Dear Marijo,

  To your question: "Where is out comapassion? If this were a human being, would we treat the situation in the same manner?"--I wish that your answer "Of course not!" were really true.

  I'm a human being. But only my beating heart, my love of life, and my fear of death, tell me so.

  The way I have been treated since I became cursed with cancer, tells me that I am not a human being. I'm just another corpse-in-waiting, with little or no love from anyone, except one doctor, among the medical people who have processed me, poked and probed me, stabbed and jabbed me, otherwise hurt me without regard to the fact that I have a human heart that suffers and fears because of this terrible curse that has captured my world and seriously threatens my life!

  Read my poem "The Exile" to see how I have been treated by my cancer clinic's patient counselor.

  I am with you that there is no compassion being shown with how this situation with the deer is being handled. I like the New Jersey law; I would like to see it become federal law.

  But don't believe for a moment that in this world, filled with a shocking number of cold-blooded, stone-hearted people, that to be a human being means that one is going to get any more compassion than that deer, or someone's beloved pet, or a stray, or any of nature's creatures.

  Being a human being only means, you better have health care insurance; and even then, you are likely to be treated with no compassion, by those who have the shape and form of fellow and sister human beings, but who have excluded you from their hearts completely, and regard you and your life as coldly as the cold cash they are there to collect.

  Sincerely,

  --PoetWithCancer (M.L.P.)

  aka Mr. Poet, aka PWC

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  Posted by PoetWithCancer Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:22pm PST

  Posted by marijo 17 minutes ago:

  You are an angel Casy for giving such a wnderful gift to our friend Poet. Ireland has been a wanna go place for my husband and I for quite awhile now. It seems to be such a mystical and interesting place! The pics you showed were great. I may want to get with you later to get some info on travel packages,best time to go,places to see,where to stay,etc. if that's okay. I would really like to surprise my hubby with the trip! maybe make it our belated honeymoon since we never actually had one! Thanks again!

  Oh and a little note to poet...I read your piece on The Dash the other night and it brought tears to my eyes. Much truth in those words. I decided to share it with a friend of mine that counsels recovering addicts and he was so excited about it! In fact he told me that he wants to try and work it into some of his counseling sessions! Lovin' you....Marijo

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  REPLY BY PoetWithCancer:

  Dear Marijo,

  Yes, Casy has been an angel to me. I really am so happy at this moment of my life! I love William Butler Yeats so much. Those pictures, his poem and her poem, the comments, etc., are a wonderful gift to me. I'm going out to buy a book on Ireland, and another book on Yeats. As if I don't have enough books already!

  I'm very glad that you liked the poem "My Dash"--I know that it is grim and sad in parts, but not in all parts; I think it even has some valuable twinklings of light that make the poem worthwhile; and, besides, it is the truth of what I was feeling and thinking at the time, and what I often think and feel these days.

  "My Dash" is as much a part of my so-called "cancer journey" as any poem celebrating a moment or day of gladness--such as today is, thanks to Casy!--all of which I am "documenting," so to speak, through my poetry.

  I'm happy that your friend wants to use "My Dash"--which is one of my deeply-felt, heart-written poems--to help recovering addicts--I hope that it does help. I can't think of any better use for any poem of mine than helping people! Keep me posted on his progress with his use of it. Tell him to feel free to use any other of my poems on Shine for that purpose, if he finds any others he thinks might be useful.

  I'm always glad to hear it when people think a poem of mine is well-written, or that it is beautiful, or that it deeply speaks to them. Always! It makes my life feel valuable and worthy, instead of unvalued and unworthy (which, unfortunately, depression sometimes makes me feel).

  But nothing makes me happier than to know that a poem of mine has eased someone else's burden, as Devotion told me "My Dash" did for her; or that a poem of mine has in any way helped another person to be happier, stronger, less-burdened, or any way better or better off. No writer/poet with a heart that loves his fellow and sister human beings in this world, can possibly hope for any higher honor!

  Thanks for letting me know.

  Love,

  --PoetWithCancer (M.L.P.)

  aka Mr. Poet, aka PWC

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  Posted by Peapod Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:01pm PST

  Dear Marijo. I thought I was the only person that was so bothered by such a thing. I get so upset when I see animals on the roadside, especially someone's pet! I remember right after losing a kitty of mine, I saw one that looked just like him curled up on a curb, right by the high school. What was shocking was seeing all these students walk right past him without a care. He looked like he was just sleeping and I am sure he was someone's pet, being this was in a residential neighborhood. I cried and cried and it just compounded my grief for my cat. I admit I was too traumatized by my own loss to go and give this cat a proper burial. I never forgot it. I also lost my own pets to autos when I was a kid and never once did someone stop to tell us, even though there was a collar with a tag.

  Anyhooooo....I am with you on this. If I had it my way, there would be speed bumps on every road where animals are. I know it's not practical, but I would be happy to never have to see another casualty on the roadside.

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  Posted by Laurel Mon Nov 23, 2009 8:16am PST

  Marijo,

  Do you live in larger city or in the country? I can see how disturbing and disgusting it would be to see pets, strays, and wild animals left along streets and as Peapod mentioned near a school. But honestly I live in a very small country town and it's not unusual to see dead deer along the road on a daily basis. Our county does have a truck that man's the roadway's to clean these animals up but they may lay there a few days. I guess to me the shock isn't so great because I have seen this my whole life. I agree there needs to be some sort of control or laws for people living in large cities and towns because the population is different.

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  Posted by blueyedmolly Mon Nov 23, 2009 6:53pm PST

  Hi Laurel, Well I kinda live in a suburb of a larger city. But until 8 years ago I lived in a very small country town. You know one of those t hat only has one stop light and if you blink you'll totally miss it!! So that is not really what inspired my post. It's just that I really think that it's a terrible thing to do...run over an animal and then just leave it lying there. True many of the animals that are hit are indeed wildlife(squirrels,oppossums,deer) but the driver could at least inform the local authorities that the animal is in fact lying in the road. I know that most towns don't list a phone number for such things but I really think there should be a number for such things. It was just a thought. I'm a very compassionate person and an avid animal lover so this is just one of my pet peeves. Just me you know!!

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  Posted by snow bunny Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:25am PST

  Here in Michigan, the deer are "owned" by the DNR as long as they are alive or dertimined to be legally killed by hunters. Once they are dead, whether by car or natural death, the DNR has no more legal responsibility for their care. However, it is against the law to dispose of deer, or even move the carcass, without being specially licensed. We are a poor state & most towns can't afford the training and approved equipment to remove them. Soooo, the deer that the DNR introduced into our area, are left to rot & there isn't anything we can do. There are high fines if a citizen is caught illegally disposing a dead deer. Ah well, at least the DNR lets law enforcement shoot injured deer along the roadway.

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