A must read poem, from an elderly lady in a nursing home who could not speak.

[totaleclipse]

The writer of this woman was unable to speak, though she was seen from time to time to write. After her death, her locker was opened and this poem was found.

What do you see nurses?
what do you see?
Are you thinking
when you lok at me,
A crabbit old woman,
not very wise,
uncertain o habit
with far away eyes,
who dribbles who 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 is forever 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 am
as I sit here so still,
as I use as your bidding,
as I eat at your will.
I am 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 love she will meet,
A bride soon at twenty,
my heart gives a leap,
remembering the vows
that I promised to keep.
At twent five now
I have young of my own who need me to build
a secure happy home,
A wman of thirty,
my young now grow fast,
bound to each other
with ties that should last,
At forty my young sons
now grown and be gone,
but my man stays beside me
to see I dont mourn.
At fifty once more
babies play round my knee,
again we know children
my loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me
my husband is dead
I look at the future
I shudder and dread,
For my young are all busy
rearing young of thier own,
and I think of the years
and the love I have known.
I'm an old woman now
and nature is cruel,
Tis her jest to make
old age look a fool.
The body it crumbles,
grace and vigour depart,
there now is a stone
where once was a heart.
But inside this old carcass
a young girl still dwells,
and now and again
my battered 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 to few - gone too fast,
and accept the stark fact
that nothing can last.
So open your eyes nurses,
open and see
not a crabbit old woman
Look closer........see me.

Beautiful and sad.

It's an old poem, but it still touches me.

Should be on the wall of every nursing home, don't you think?

it was in a text book I used to teach RE to Year 9. They thought it was "really sad, Miss" but, to be honest, I thought the writers of the text book had made it up and never thought it was that good!

I only realised it wasn't when I heard it quite recently on the radio on a programme about older people's care.

Yes, it should be anorak, its quite a wake up call.

My grandmother died recently and that poem describes her. In her last days she wasn't the woman we knew.

that's so sad

thank you for posting that, I hadn't come across it and although sad, it has enriched my day.

We were given that during our first week in nurse training and again before we did our care of the elderly placement. I still have a copy tucked away. Really helped me care better.

I have seen it up on the wall in a few hospitals/ homes i have worked in, shorter version though.

Gosh - that made me cry. Its beautiful.

we were also gven it in our first week of nurse training.

its also on the wall in the staffroom where I work now.

I hadn't read that before

Thanks for posting it

When my Granny had to go into a home we put photos of her around the room when she was younger so others didn't just see her as a lady in her 90s but as a "real" person iyswim

It also gave the nurses something to talk to her about ie people and places in the photos