[Brian Allgar]

Nil carborundum illegitimi, Tim!

[Maryann Corbett]

Prayers from me, too, Tim.

[E. Shaun Russell]

Positive thoughts your way, Tim!

[Simon Hunt]

You're in my thoughts, Tim.

[Gail White]

Lighting virtual candles for you in Breaux Bridge.

[Cyn Neely]

I am sorry to hear this news. My thoughts and prayers are with you Tim.

[Allen Tice]

Also good luck.

[Tim Murphy]

Thanks everyone, for prayers and well wishes. As at the first infusion, I've felt great today, the immunotheraphy, but tomorrow the little portable chemo pump will make four days miserable. Dr. Mahipal is dialing back on the poisons to make them more tolerable. Hard to write light verse on chemo, but here goes. Tim

Grand Kahler’s "Economy Room"

My sailboat berths were roomier than this.
Stashing my portapump
in bed (nary a lump),
I zone out. Now four hours of brainless bliss,

my second blast, immunotherapy.
Amit cut by a third
my killer's killers. Word
has reached the troops of chemotherapy

that drip by drip they have five days to run,
to lay my lesions waste,
ruin my pasta's taste.
Why can't I just kill cancer wih a gun?

What's that? I need my throat, my spine, my skull?
Suffer. Amit has cells to kill and cull.

[Jayne Osborn]

Hi Tim,

It's great that you are so stoical, and your sense of humour is well and truly intact!

You've reached out to SO many people, not just in the US but around the globe, with your wonderful poetry, and I'm very glad to have met you at West Chester in 2012.

Your indomitable spirit will get you through the next few miserable days. Good luck with the treatment.

Jayne

[John Isbell]

Hi Tim,

What Jayne said. Your continuing poetic production - among which this last - are a tribute to your character and resource in the face of adversity. I wish you the very best with your treatment. Courage, as the French say.

Cheers,
John