Issue 5 – June 2026 – Tanka Prose 3
Shift's End
The building blocks the last amber rays. Inside, he receives the test results, and he is offered several optional treatments to ease the pain. The doctor's words and look stay with him while he only thinks of the assembly line he left behind. Thirty years of punching the clock could be reduced to counting drips in a sterile room.
The assistant gives him a glossy brochure about treatment plans and support group information. He drops it in a trash bin by the elevator. His boots feel heavy against the polished floor. Passing through the glass double door, he stops for a moment and takes a deep breath.
cancer center
shadowed against sunset skies
he smiles through wrinkles
leaning on the marble wall
for one long drag
Chen-ou Liu, Canada
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