Mohs Surgery

 

Last summer there's no trace of a spot on my face

Two weeks ago I had Mohs surgery on face

basal cell cancer was size of pea

on bridge of nose

no big deal I thought

yet

incision began between eyebrows

curved around nose

doctor created skin flap

to cover hole where cancer was

he’s done about a million of these surgeries

it was like assembly line in waiting room

afterwards Keith said I looked like

I’d been in a bar room brawl

two black eyes almost swollen shut.

 

That was Tuesday

I thought by Sunday

I’d look okay but no

two black eyes

gross-looking wound

didn’t want to go to church

but had no choice.

 

No choice

retired pastors out of town as usual

lay speaker recovering from Covid

so –

stuck big bandage on face

tried to hide behind pulpit

people kept coming up

showing me lack of scars

from their own Mohs surgery

one woman showed me her after-surgery photos

looked like she had been mauled by bear

no trace now

then I didn’t feel so bad

couldn’t hide anyway

wished the livestream wouldn’t work

behold it didn’t

which isn’t unusual still I was grateful.

 

Another woman said she had fever blister and came anyway

man said he had chipped tooth and came anyway

because they knew I’d be there

solidarity!

 

Six days later I played pickleball

with only small band-aid hidden by safety glasses

now there is trace of one black eye

weird red lump between eyes

lumps red color scars may take more than a year to heal.

Thank God cancer is gone

at least for now.

 

One week after

Two weeks after