Is there a certain poem or quote that touches you? This one has been around a while and was read to my first CNA class. I try to remember it when I am having a bad day.

WHAT DO YOU SEE NURSE?

What do you see, nurse...what do you see?
Are you thinking-when you look at me:
A crabbed old woman, not very wise:
Uncertain of habit with far-away eyes,

Who dribbles her food and makes no reply
When you say in a loud voice "I do wish you'd try"
Who seems not to notice that things that you do
and forever is losing a stocking or shoe

Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will
With bathing and feeding, the long day to fill.
Is that what you're thinking, is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse, You're not looking at me!

I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still.
As I move at your bidding, eat at your will;

I'm a small child of ten with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters who love one another;

A young girl of sixteen with wings on her feet,
Dreaming that soon a love she'll meet;

A bride of twenty, my heart gives a leap;
Remembering the vows that I promised to keep

At twenty-five now I have young of my own
Who need me to build a secure, happy home

A woman of thirty, my young now grow fast
Bound together with ties that should last.

At forty, my young sons have grown up and gone,
But my man's beside me to see I don't mourn;

At fifty once more babies play 'round my knee
Again we know children, my loved ones and me...

Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead
I look into the future, I shudder with dread
For my young are all rearing young of thier own
And I think of the years
and the love that I've known

I'm an old woman now, and nature is cruel.
Tis her jest to make old age look like a fool
The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart.
There is a stone where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells,
and now again my bittered heart swells;
I remember the joys, I remember the pain
and I'm loving and living life over again;

I think of the years, all too few, gone too fast
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last;
So open your eyes, nurse, open and see...
not a crabbed old woman.
Look closer... see me!

I also have the reply to this poem if anyone is interested in reading it as well. It is just as touching and true.

Yes, I would love to see the response.

This is soooo very beautiful.......My heart goes to the person who wrote both......

charlita, you hit the nail on the head. mramsey40, thank you for the wonderful post! I too loved them both, and have never read either before. bBoth bring back very fond memories of the aspirations I had fresh out of school...it's amazing how some things never change, and how some things do!

Ugh.....this made me cry! Im not gonna make in in nursing school if Im all sappy. I love the geriatric feild. Your poem is so heart wrenching and true.
Thanks for sharing.

I love all these poems. Especially yours LJ. I am so blessed to be in nursing, and to have the experience to be a blessing in my patients lives, I am so glad to be a inspiration to the lonely old lady, that doesn't have any family visiting her in the old folks home, I am so glad to be that person, holding a terminally ill cancer patient hand, and having her say, thank you for taking care of me. I am so glad to be a help, to a AIDS patient, that knows he is about to die, but, accepts his destiny with no regrets, accept that he should of been more careful with using protection. I am that caregiver that sings hyms to a dying person, I think all nurses are angels from god. GOD BLESS!!!

This a new poem to me. Touching my heart in every way since I worked in a nursing home for a few years. I saw so many elderly that just wanted me to read to them, or tell me about their younger days, or feel beautiful. Yes, it is hard to see youth and beauty in the aged sometime, but when I really took the time to sit down and listen to their stories, their youth became alive again. A smile on their face, gave me more gladness than any bath or feeding or physical therapy did. They need that too of course, but their heartts need exercise and love. Dreams, memories, and hope have kept those residents alive.....I have seen it with my own eyes. I have been blessed by each patient/resident I have ever had the pleasure of working with on a daily basis. I get so much more than I give!

When I was in EMS school, I came across this and copied it to read to my classmates. It touched me all the way into the endocardium of my heart!

I want to tell that little boy his mom will be just fine.
I want to tell that dad we got his daughter out in time.
I want to tell that wife her husband will be home tonight.
I don't want to tell it like it is....I want to tell them lies.
You didn't put their seat belts on;you feel you killed your kids.
I want to say you didn't....but in a way, you did.
You pound your fists into my chest, you're hurting so inside.
I want to say you'll be ok...I want to tell you lies.
You left chemicals within his reach and now it's in his eyes.
I want to say your son will see, not tell you he'll be blind.
You ask me if he'll be OK with pleading in your eyes.
I want to say that"Yes, he will'....I want to tell you lies.
I can see you're crying as your life goes up in smoke.
If you'd maintained that smoke alarm, your children may have woke.
Don't grab my arm and ask me if your family is alive.
Don't make me tell you they're all dead....I want to tell you lies.
I want to say she'll be ok, you didn't take her life.
I hear you say you love her and you'd never hurt your wife.
You thought you didn't drink too much, you thought that you could drive.
I don't want to say how wrong you were....I want to tell you lies.
You only left her for a moment, it happens all the time.
How could she have fallen from there? You thought she couldn't climb.
I want to say her necks not broke, that she will be just fine.
I don't want to say she's paralyzed...I want to tell you lies.
I want to tell this teen his buddies didn't die in vain.
Because he thought that it'd be cool to try and beat the train.
I don't want to tell him this will haunt him all his life.
I want to say that he'll forget....I want to tell him lies.
You left the cabinet open and your daughter found the gun.
Now you want me to undo the damage that's been done.
You tell me she's your only child, you say she's only five.
I don't want to say she won't see six...I want to tell you lies.
He fell into the pool when you just went to grab the phone.
It was only for a second that you left him there alone.
If you let the damn phone ring perhaps your boy would be alive.
But I don't want to tell you that....I want to tell you lies.
The fact that you were speeding caused that car to overturn
and we couldn't get them out of there before the whole thing burned.
Did they suffer? Yes, they suffered, as they slowly burned alive.
But I don't want to say those words....I want to tell you lies.
But I have to tell it like it is, until my shift is through.
And then the real lies begin, when I come home to you.
You ask me how my day was, and I say it was just fine.
I hope you understand sometimes....I have to tell you lies.

Oh Wow! All of these poems are awesome! I am going to copy all of them off and take them to school to share. Thank you all for posting them:)

chericcm said:

Ugh.....this made me cry! Im not gonna make in in nursing school if Im all sappy. I love the geriatric feild. Your poem is so heart wrenching and true.
Thanks for sharing.

MamaDawn said:

When I was in EMS school, I came across this and copied it to read to my classmates. It touched me all the way into the endocardium of my heart!

I want to tell that little boy his mom will be just fine.
I want to tell that dad we got his daughter out in time.
I want to tell that wife her husband will be home tonight.
I don't want to tell it like it is....I want to tell them lies.
You didn't put their seat belts on;you feel you killed your kids.
I want to say you didn't....but in a way, you did.
You pound your fists into my chest, you're hurting so inside.
I want to say you'll be ok...I want to tell you lies.
You left chemicals within his reach and now it's in his eyes.
I want to say your son will see, not tell you he'll be blind.
You ask me if he'll be OK with pleading in your eyes.
I want to say that"Yes, he will'....I want to tell you lies.
I can see you're crying as your life goes up in smoke.
If you'd maintained that smoke alarm, your children may have woke.
Don't grab my arm and ask me if your family is alive.
Don't make me tell you they're all dead....I want to tell you lies.
I want to say she'll be ok, you didn't take her life.
I hear you say you love her and you'd never hurt your wife.
You thought you didn't drink too much, you thought that you could drive.
I don't want to say how wrong you were....I want to tell you lies.
You only left her for a moment, it happens all the time.
How could she have fallen from there? You thought she couldn't climb.
I want to say her necks not broke, that she will be just fine.
I don't want to say she's paralyzed...I want to tell you lies.
I want to tell this teen his buddies didn't die in vain.
Because he thought that it'd be cool to try and beat the train.
I don't want to tell him this will haunt him all his life.
I want to say that he'll forget....I want to tell him lies.
You left the cabinet open and your daughter found the gun.
Now you want me to undo the damage that's been done.
You tell me she's your only child, you say she's only five.
I don't want to say she won't see six...I want to tell you lies.
He fell into the pool when you just went to grab the phone.
It was only for a second that you left him there alone.
If you let the damn phone ring perhaps your boy would be alive.
But I don't want to tell you that....I want to tell you lies.
The fact that you were speeding caused that car to overturn
and we couldn't get them out of there before the whole thing burned.
Did they suffer? Yes, they suffered, as they slowly burned alive.
But I don't want to say those words....I want to tell you lies.
But I have to tell it like it is, until my shift is through.
And then the real lies begin, when I come home to you.
You ask me how my day was, and I say it was just fine.
I hope you understand sometimes....I have to tell you lies.

A nurse is a nurse is a nurse even when we ourselves needs a nurse in our old age. Nurses are the gateway to compassion and caring. Let's do our very best each day to treat others even the unlovable the way we would like to be treated. God bless Nurses.

May God bless the compassionate nurses, who not only give their time but also give their heart!