There was a Time: poems, musing, and thoughts of experiencing cancer – by Andrew Reynolds

In his blog post yesterday, As The Pizza Cooks–Episode 24, Andrew Reynolds confessed, “A year or two after I finished my cancer treatments, I thought I’d write a book about the experience, but when I sat down to write that, it all came out as poetry.  I blame the radiation — must have changed something in my brain.”

This compelling book is a poetic and emotional response to being treated for prostate cancer, which takes the reader on a poignant journey through the emotions of diagnosis, treatment and recovery.  There was a Time also looks at the loss of his mother to pancreatic cancer, and the difficulty of watching a loved one pass from this world to the next.

You’d think the topics would be off-putting, but Andrew handles them so deftly.

Another partial review from Carrie on Amazon:

“I opened up this book with the intention of reading a few poems from it each day, which, as someone who doesn’t read much poetry, is often how I approach it, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. In this collection of poems, Reynolds chronicles the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions that accompany a diagnosis of cancer, its treatment and recovery, and its psychological toll. Part of my eagerness to devour these poems was my background as a physician–it’s always thought-provoking to read about a patient’s experiences–but most of it stemmed from the beauty and rawness of the author’s words. . . .”

Andrew Reynolds is a poet, writer, blogger, woodworker, and computer engineer who holds a BA in English from San Jose State University. Andrew Reynolds retired from the high-tech world of Silicon Valley and has moved to Reno, NV where he lives with his wife and three cats.

There was a Time is not available through Amazon, but if you’re interested in it, contact Andrew here.

Andrew’s View of the Week is eclectic, with everything from his hobbies with his scroll saw and quilting, ponderings, and his list of groaners every Friday. I’ve been watching for more of Andrew’s poems. I says maybe early next year!