I recently revisited 'Sloan-Kettering: Poems' by Abba Kovner, and it’s one of those collections that lingers in your mind long after the last page. The book is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of illness, survival, and memory, framed through Kovner’s experiences during his time at the Sloan-Kettering cancer hospital. If you’re asking about the number of poems, the collection contains 21 pieces, each one a raw, unflinching glimpse into the emotional and physical toll of battling cancer. What strikes me most isn’t just the quantity but how each poem feels like a fragment of a larger, deeply personal narrative—almost like entries in a diary you weren’t meant to read but can’t look away from.
Kovner’s work isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s incredibly rewarding if you’re willing to sit with its heaviness. The poems are sparse yet dense, with every word carrying weight. I’d recommend reading them slowly, maybe even out loud, to really absorb the rhythm and the silence between the lines. It’s the kind of book that makes you pause mid-sentence just to catch your breath. If you’re into poetry that challenges you emotionally and intellectually, this one’s a standout—just be prepared for the emotional gut punches.
2026-02-15 21:08:32
1
View All Answers
Scan code to download App
Related Books
Anthology Of Gay Love
Maxnight
8
16.6K
Behind Closed Doors: Kaine and Seth are roommates but Kaine is in love with Seth who is straight and has a girlfriend. How will they go about this discovery? Tanner In The Center: Tanner Milton is stuck between his 2 loves his high school crush and the older man he shouldn’t be with. Who will he choose? Or who will choose him? Falling For Damien Allen: Baz likes the bad body he’s been secretly hooking up with, but Damien wants to be casual. Will Damien ever have feelings for Baz?
In the sterile calm of the operating room, Dr. Marcus Valencia is celebrated for his precision, his steady hands healing wounds that others deemed impossible. But beneath the surgeon’s blade lies a heart scarred by a past he’s struggled to bury. When he falls in love, a new chapter begins—until a shocking truth slices through, unearthing a dark secret that binds them both to a night of unspeakable horror. Now, Marcus faces an agonizing choice: fulfilling his duty or answering the resounding call for justice, now lying in front of him.
With justice resting in his hands, immerse yourself in a novel where the call of duty, the depths of true love, and the burning desire for revenge for family clash in a poignant struggle.
The day my ex finally made it big, the doctor told me I had less than three months to live.
On TV, a reporter was interviewing James Larson.
“Mr. Larson, what drove you to success?”
James chuckled, but his eyes were misty.
“The biggest push? Probably when I was diagnosed with kidney disease eight years ago, and my ex walked out on me.”
“I’m grateful she didn’t marry me. That was the wake-up call I needed.”
After the interview, he called.
“Amelia Simmons, I made it. Do you regret it now?”
I rested a hand on the spot where my kidney used to be and let out a bitter laugh.
“I do. And I have cancer now. Happy?”
James sounded satisfied. “Serves you right.”
He never knew—I got cancer because I gave him my kidney all those years ago.
I tried to die a hundred times to make him notice me.
For two years, I was Shawn Scott’s wife in name only—an unwanted bride bound by a scandal, left to live in the shadow of another woman. My parents only saw my faults. My husband only saw my mistakes. As for me? I saw no way out.
Every time I tried to end it, I’d wake up again, bruised and humiliated. I was greeted not with concern, but accusations such as "Why are you so selfish, Zoe Jennings?" or "Why can’t you be more like your sister Yvonne?"
It wasn’t until my hundredth suicide attempt that I finally understood: I was the only one fighting for a love that never existed. So, I stopped.
I walked away. I disappeared. I gave them what they wanted—my absence.
However, when I left, the man who never looked at me twice started chasing the ghost of the woman he thought he knew.
By the time he realized what he truly lost, I was already learning how to live again.
After my rebirth, the very first thing I did was ride from one blood donation van to another, giving blood until I nearly collapsed.
Why? Because in my previous life, my fiancé's newly hired intern, Shirley Lynch, had bound herself to a blood-exchange system. Every milliliter she donated was siphoned directly from my own veins.
In just a month, she transformed from an ordinary college girl into the nation's beloved Blood Angel, showered with fame and fortune, while I, suffering from severe anemia, was fired from the hospital for being unable to work.
When I exposed her scheme to my fiancé, he looked at me with disgust and broke off our engagement.
"You're selfish and cowardly," he sneered. "You refuse to donate your rare blood type, and now you slander Shirley? You call yourself a doctor, yet you believe in such ridiculous nonsense!"
From then on, every time Shirley donated blood, I would suffer heart palpitations, dizziness, and sometimes collapse outright.
I begged the doctors in my department for help, but my fiancé blocked every attempt, accusing me of jealousy and wasting medical resources.
In the end, to steal my promotion ahead of schedule, Shirley donated a full 1000 milliliters of blood live on television. As her blood drained, so did mine. I went into shock and died.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day Shirley first claimed she carried my rare blood type.
A lethal neurotoxin had taken hold of my lungs.
My time is running out.
My mother, Sofia, was the most connected lawyer in Palermo, excelling in burying crimes and twisting the law.
When my brother Vincent mowed me down and shattered my leg, she called in every favor to clear his record.
My father, Tommaso, the most feared private doctor in Sicily, faked my medical files, branding me unstable and delusional, all to mold me into the obedient son they needed.
Then there was Lina, only daughter of Don Vitali, my wife.
She said, “We let him out for Vincent’s liver. What if he says no?”
Dad’s voice went cold.
“He has two choices: lie quietly on that operating table… or waste away in the sanatorium for what’s left of his life.”
I pushed the parlor door open, steady and slow.
My voice was flat.
“I’ll do it.”
Every one of them let out a breath they’d been holding, showering me with hollow words.
They didn’t know there was no life left to threaten.
I had twenty-four hours.
By sunrise, I would be dead either way.
Funny… now that I’m in the ground, why are they all crying?
The collection 'To Be of Use: Poems' by Marge Piercy holds a special place on my shelf—it’s one of those books I reach for when I need a burst of clarity or grit. After thumbing through it countless times, I can confidently say it contains 43 poems. What’s fascinating is how Piercy’s work balances raw practicality with lyrical beauty, like in the titular poem where she celebrates hard labor as something almost sacred. The themes range from activism to everyday resilience, and each piece feels like a compact manifesto. I love how the book doesn’t just sit there; it demands you do something, even if that’s just reconsidering your own hustle.
Funny enough, I once gifted this collection to a friend who claimed to 'hate poetry,' and now it’s their go-to for motivation. That’s the magic of Piercy—she sneaks profundity into plain language. The poems are short enough to digest during a coffee break but linger long after. If you’re new to her work, start with 'The Seven of Pentacles'—it’s a masterclass in patience and growth.
Ever since I stumbled upon 'Sloan-Kettering: Poems' in a used bookstore, I've been obsessed with tracking down accessible ways to share it with fellow poetry lovers. While I respect copyright laws, I know some platforms host excerpts or older works legally. Project Gutenberg and Open Library sometimes have public domain poetry collections, but this one might be too recent.
If you're into contemporary poetry, checking out academic journals or the poet's personal website could yield surprises. I once found a gem like this in a university's digital archive. Otherwise, libraries often offer free digital loans through apps like Libby—worth a shot! The hunt for poetry is half the fun, honestly.
Sloan-Kettering: Poems' is a hauntingly beautiful collection by Abba Kovner that delves into the raw emotions of illness and survival. The poems are deeply personal, reflecting Kovner's own battle with cancer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The themes of mortality, resilience, and the fragility of life are woven throughout, but there's also a quiet strength in the way he confronts pain. The imagery is stark yet poetic—hospital rooms become landscapes of introspection, and silence speaks louder than words.
What struck me most was how Kovner transforms suffering into art without romanticizing it. The poems don’t shy away from fear or despair, but they also capture fleeting moments of hope, like sunlight through a hospital window. It’s not just about illness; it’s about what it means to be human in the face of the unknown. Reading it feels like holding someone’s hand through their darkest hours, and that’s what makes it so powerful.
Sloan-Kettering: Poems' is a hauntingly beautiful collection by the poet Abba Kovner, a Holocaust survivor and partisan fighter whose life was steeped in both profound loss and unyielding resilience. What makes this work so gripping is how it channels the raw, fragmented emotions of his battle with cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital—transforming pain into something almost lyrical. The poems aren’t just about illness; they’re a meditation on memory, survival, and the body’s betrayal, woven with echoes of his wartime experiences. There’s a brutal honesty in lines that grapple with mortality, where the hospital becomes a battleground not unlike the forests where he once fought Nazis.
Kovner’s inspiration feels like a collision of past and present traumas. You can almost trace the threads from Vilna’s ghettos to the sterile hospital corridors—the same defiance pulses through both. What’s striking is how he refuses sentimentalism; even in despair, his words crackle with a fighter’s precision. The collection resonates deeply with anyone who’s faced illness or witnessed its ravages, but it’s also a testament to art’s power to alchemize suffering. I’ve revisited these poems during my own tough moments, and there’s something about their unflinching gaze that feels like a kind of companionship.