Magazine Poetry

Six days after we got home from our epic New York trip and New England cruise, I attended a 2-day retreat for breast cancer survivors put on by Thriving Pink. It was a weekend of friendship, self-care, pampering, and healing. We did a lot of journaling, shared stories, and spent time reflecting on our own cancer journey. 

Of all the activities we did, my favorites were the crafts. The first was a magazine collage. We weren't given specific instructions about how to make our collages; most people collected images of things that represented them (or that they found particularly beautiful) and layered those onto their cardboard cake round (affiliate link). I went a slightly different direction. 

Rather than focus on my favorite things, my project is inspired specifically by my cancer journey. I found an image of poppies that spoke to me and used that as the background. Immediately before this activity, our group had talked about the role our loved ones have played in our recovery and how much our breast cancer has affected them, particularly the primary caregiver. In my case, that has been Steve. I am so grateful for his love and support through diagnosis, treatment, and beyond. He stands strong behind me, like the large poppy behind the slightly smaller one in the foreground. Other poppies surround them both, just as so many others have provided help and support to us both throughout my cancer journey. 

I collected words and phrases from the magazine that spoke to me about my path forward as a cancer patient. I arranged them and rearranged them until I had the short poem you see above. Finally, I added a border of torn magazine bits around the edge. The pieces aren't perfect, just like life isn't perfect. The best we can do is to create a life well crafted, savor memories, let it be, and believe.

Obviously, this project doesn't have to be about cancer. It could be about absolutely anything, from the serious to the frivolous. Each person's will be a unique reflection of who they are and how they feel at that moment. And this is not a project only for adults. Kids are capable of making beautiful and meaningful found poetry too.