I Am Henrietta Lacks
By Skylar Ziegler
I am strong and immortal
I wonder if I will ever get the credit I deserve
I hear the doctors talking excitedly about me
I see the damage on my body from the chemotherapy
I want my family to have a better life
I am strong and immortal
I pretend I can still paint my nails red
I feel a dark mass inside me
I touch the tumor that will leave a legacy
I worry about how my children will cope without a mother
I cry because my husband is out with another woman again
I am strong and immortal
I understand my cells are being sold for 25 cents a vile
I say that I'm ok so no one worries about me
I dream about having many more kids
I try to be a good wife and mother
I hope the doctors will give my family the money
I am strong and immortal