August 22 Vallejo/Vacaville Arts and Entertainment Source: Poetry through pain: Kyrah Ayers writes his way through chemotherapy

When Kyrah Ayers founded Poetry by the Bay 16 years ago, he saw the platform as a way to share “what’s on your mind, what’s on your heart and having an open mic for people to do that.”

Every month, the spoken word event has offered the community just that — a place where personal experience and art go hand in hand.

After a harrowing year fighting appendix cancer, it seemed only natural for Ayers to turn to the community and share his experience. A writer for over 30 years, Ayers dealt with his 12 rounds of chemotherapy by writing his way through them. The process resulted in 12 poems that Ayers will debut on Aug. 25 during his reading from 1-3 p.m. at Mare Island Art Studios.

Taking place during Appendix Awareness Month, Ayers’ event is one of encouragement and exposure, with a portion of the proceeds going toward Appendix Cancer Research.

The overarching theme within these poems is “an optimistic standpoint, one of survivorship and victory,” says Ayers. Despite its relevance to illness, this theme is not a recent one for Ayers. Just months before he received his diagnosis in 2023, Ayers’ had published his book, “My Light,” which revealed the artist’s optimistic perspective on life across 30 poems and 20 years. This outlook worked as a foundation through chemo, helping Ayers to “weather the storm.”

Throughout his illness, Ayers even came up with a pseudonym for his cancer, dubbing it “the visitor.”

As owners of a metaphysical supply shop in Oakland, Queen Hippie Gypsy, the power of words have added meaning for Ayers and his wife.

“We didn’t want to repeat the word ‘cancer’ several times throughout a day,” said Ayers. “We wanted to acknowledge its existence but at the same time have a name that reflected it was not staying. So ‘the visitor’ came to just exemplify the fact that you are here and you are leaving.”

“It definitely wasn’t all flowers and candy,” admits Ayers, who credits the support of his family and friends for getting him through. “That’s what I chose to focus on, to help people see the light through dark moments.”

The poems themselves include humor and experiences that resonate with people who are going through similar treatment. They touch on certain symptoms such as neuropathy, which involves a numb feeling in hands and feet. “There are poems about nausea, which several of the drugs that chemotherapy patients take cause,” said Ayers.

By turning his symptoms into a poem to then share with the community, Ayers models a way to grow through the process rather than just suffer through it.

Having won the 12 rounds with “the visitor,” Ayers is already preparing for his next test of physical strength — the Honolulu Marathon in December. Beginning as a track and field athlete in grade school to then receiving a scholarship to Sonoma State, Ayers’ newest track goals continue his lifelong athleticism but with renewed gratitude.

“One of the things that chemotherapy will do for you is slow you down,” said Ayers. “And it will help you appreciate the moment.”

“While, like anyone else, I have ambitions beyond the present, right now I am in gratitude and appreciation for what is. At this point I’m just wanting to encourage others to continue on their journeys, and that’s gonna be my mantra for as long as I live.”

Tickets are $5, available online at www.eventbrite.com/e/12-rounds-tickets-958272969247

Originally Published: August 20, 2024 at 4:47 p.m.