Canadian Poetry Online top banner link to Canadian Poetry Online home page link to University of Toronto Libraries home page

Oligodendroglioma

Andrew Steinmetz
From:   The Fiddlehead. No. 128 (Pg.100) Winter 2003.


Seventeen letters across.
Draw it on paper,
write it down. Caterpillar,
centipede. See, it moves

off the page, and
drops, a soft tractor
under leaf or tissue.
Now expand the tree,

find your terminology �
Neoplasm, Brain �
on a lower branch
crawling with information

like cells appear well-defined,
compact, and rounded.
Actually, avascular.
Macroscopically, a pinkish smear.

Imaging studies show, how
they grow outwards from
white matter into grey matter.
Chemosensitive, yes.

Median age at diagnosis,
40-50 years. Either
sex. Shave your hair.
In a week or so.

Depends on size,
location. Ordinarily, no.
She wanted everything I had
on Oligodendroglioma.



Andrew Steinmetz's works copyright © to the author.


Canadian Poetry Online bottom banner link to University of Toronto Libraries home page link to Digital Collections home page link to University of Toronto Library catalogue link to Canadian Poetry Online home page link to University of Toronto Libraries home page link to Contact Information page