“Cultivation Also Starts With C” by Jess Skyleson is a poem that uses the invasive, difficult to remove plant Japanese knotweed as a metaphor for cancer without ever saying the word, “cancer.” Skyleson switches back and forth between describing the beauty and tenderness of the plant itself with the devastation it wreaks on the environment to ultimately center the story within a doctor’s diagnosis. This poem could be used in a variety of health humanities courses to, for example, encourage students to consider alternative metaphors for thinking and speaking about cancer. It could also fit in a course that explores the intersection between human and environmental health.
Access
- Link: https://pulsevoices.org/poems/cultivation-also-starts-with-c/
Details
Language: English
Type of Story: Poem
Contributed by: Rosalie Zuckermann
Citation:
Skyleson, Jess. (6/23/23) “Cultivation Also Starts With C.” Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine. https://pulsevoices.org/poems/cultivation-also-starts-with-c/