“I AM NO LONGER AFRAID…” Deena Metzger.
DEENA METZGER INSCRIBES A TREE
by
Jamie Dedes
Ms. Metzger is a poet and playwright, essayist and novelist, and a healing storyteller. I wish her work was around in time for my mom who died of breast and colon cancer. Trees: Essays and Pieces is Deena Metzger’s first healing book and it includes the play The Woman Who Slept With Men to Take the War Out of Them. She wrote the book to heal from her experience of cancer and mastectomy.
I love the brave picture above on a poster designed by Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, copyrighted and posted here under “fair use.” It’s also on the cover of Ms. Metzger’s book. You can order posters or postcards HERE if you care to. I don’t know if you can make it out, but Ms. Metzger had a tatoo done over her mastectomy scar. It’s a tree branch.
I am no longer afraid of mirrors where I see the sign of the amazon, the one who shoots arrows.
There was a fine red line across my chest where a knife entered,
but now a branch winds about the scar and travels from arm to heart.
Green leaves cover the branch, grapes hang there and a bird appears.
What grows in me now is vital and does not cause me harm. I think the bird is singing.
I have relinquished some of the scars.
I have designed my chest with the care given to an illuminated manuscript.
I am no longer ashamed to make love. Love is a battle I can win.
I have the body of a warrior who does not kill or wound.
On the book of my body, I have permanently inscribed a tree.
Excerpt from Tree: Essays and Pieces by Deena Metzger
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Jamie Dedes ~ Jamie is a former freelance feature writer and columnist whose topic specialties were employment, vocational training, and business. She finds the blessing of medical retirement to be more time to indulge in her poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction. She has two novels in progress, one in final edits, and is pulling together a poetry collection. Her primary playground is Musing by Moonlight. She is the founder and editor/administrator of Into the Bardo. Jamie’s mother was diagnosed with cancer the first time at thirty-six. She went three rounds with breast cancer, one with thyroid cancer, and died at seventy-six of breast and colon cancer.
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The BeZine 
Such grace and courage.
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Yes, she does have that. You would enjoy her writing.
Thanks for visiting and reading here, Gayle, as well as the others. You are such a stalwart friend. xox
Jamie
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You’re welcome, Jamie. Your postings are so varied and interesting, from the deeply spiritual to informative and funny. Your blogs are among my favorites.
Love,
Gayle xoxo
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And the tree is the tree of life. I love strong, loving, warrior women! There are so many of us out there. Silent, but sure and effective.
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Yes, many silently brave warrior women … and warrior men too! Thanks, Amy.
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Did I read this before on Musing by Moonlight, Jamie? It seems like deja vu. I just love her bravery.
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Yes! Good memory, Cindy. It was a part of a long post on Trees that was in response to Blaga Tordova’s Season Challenge.
She is brave. I think you would enjoy her writing, assuming you had time. I don’t know how you get it all done.
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