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This moving poem was said to have been found in an elderly woman's locker after she died in a geriatric hospital.
What do you see, nurses, what do you see?
Are you thinking when you are looking at me-
A crabbit 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 the things that you do
And forever is losing a stocking or shoe.
Who unresisting 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 are not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still.
As I rise at your bidding, as I 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 now a lover she'll meet;
A bride soon at 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 to each other with ties that should last,
At forty my young sons now grown, will be gone;
But my man stays beside me to see I don't mourn;
At fifty once more babies play around my knee,
Again we know children, my loved one and me;
Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead.
I look to the future, I shudder with dread.
My young are all busy rearing young of their 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 vigour depart,
There is now a stone where I once had a heart,
But inside this old carcase a young still dwells
And now and again my battered heart swells,
I remember the joys, I remember the pain,
And I'm loving and living all over again,
And I think of the years all too few - gone too fast
And accept that stark fact that nothing will last,
So open your eyes, nurses, open and see,
Not a crabbit old woman, look closer - see me! |
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Computer conked out before I could put a foot note,
I thing we could all learn something from these words, not only old people, but those who are disabled also.
Love and Light Angel |
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Very thought-provoking Angel, thanks for sharing. 'Never judge a book by its cover' eh? Polly xxxxxxxxxx  |
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I think this sort of thing needs to be printed up and pinned up in every care home around the country. Too many people work but not care, do there job but not see the people for who they really are. I used to work in a nursing home and I just couldn't handle the way that many of the residents there were treated like pieces of meat and not human beings. I quit my job needless to say, sometimes I regret it, but I knew I couldn't make much difference. Thankyou Angel for posting that! loads of love chazz xxxxxxxxxx |
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| Hi, ive had this before, still sticks in my mind,makes you think what many of us have to come to! i used to help out at a home, ex partner worked there. i got too attatched to many of the residents, broke my heart to see them ,waiting for visitors mainly!so many elderly people get no visitors , forgotten about by there families who maybe came once a month.bless all the elderly folk and keep them in gods care. thank you for sharing hun, hugs jen,xx |
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That is lovely Angel,thanks for sharing Lots of love Mandy xx |
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