I am a veil,
A sheath of newness and despair,
A film of shadow and of light,
A cover not quite there.
I fasten readily to hair,
To hats of wool and crowns of gold.
I dress the plain, adorn the rich,
Praise youth and hide the old.
And whether it is warm or cold
I’m worn, and flowers comfort me
And mourn or celebrate the day
Of love and loss and misery.
I make for soothing company.
I pale the skin. I hide the pale.
You see them, though they can’t see through
The veil.
Copyright 2001 Liya Khenkin
About Liya & Alexander: Together for over 20 years, Liya and Alexander have two beautiful children together. Liya lived over 8 years with Metastatic Breast Cancer. 8 years during which she maintained her life and balanced work and family life. She used art and writing as an escape, and we are honored that her husband has shared her stories (and his art) with us. We hope this Life Beyond Breast Cancer tribute is an inspiration to other couples living with this disease.
Marcela Shine is Founder of Avanzar Ventures, Business Manager of The Tutu Project and an advisor to the Carey Foundation. Her company, Avanzar Ventures, has been supporting the project by providing operational, social media and technical implementation strategy since the inception of the project.