Transcript

"A Nurse Walks Into the Room" I dedicate this poem to my brother, Scott Locke, for he will someday understand the value of his own mankind. A nurse walks into the room And what does she see? She sees a creature she wants to refuse treat. “I can’t believe what I see staring back at me.” With dreaded hair, tattoos, and piercings galore, She thinks, “I don’t think I can do this anymore.” The same nurse walks into the room And what does she do? She ignores the creature and only did what her job described her to. She filled his cup with ice, gave him a gown, and said, “Take a shower.” She looked around the creature’s room and saw no flowers. The same nurse walks into the room And how does she talk? She talks with a tone of haste and judgment. Nobody respects a “holey” person even if they have an ailment. As she leaves the room, she hears a, “thank you.” The creature can’t possibly have manners too? The same nurse walks into the room And how does she act? She acts like a nurse there to do a job. Nothing extra – No, where is your family? Do you have a mom? This time she looks around his room and sees a small cross. The only token he had; it made him smile a lot. The nurse feels guilty for her behavior. The creature looks at her and says, “It’s ok, Mom didn’t like my ‘look’ either.” “Mom didn’t like a lot of things, the drugs, the alcohol, the dread-locks in my hair.” But I promised her I would be there. The same nurse never left the room And what does she ask? “How were you there?” The creature replied, “I picked her up the day it happened – it’s still not clear.” He continued, “I finally did it for my mom, I got off all the drugs.” “But the guys that hit us must not have been given the same hugs.” The same nurse walked up to the boy She gave him a warm hug. With a tear in her eye she said, “Everything will be ok, Doug.” “I am your nurse and will be taking care of you.” “I am sorry I have been treating you this way too.” “You have been through a lot and you were doing good.” “I am deeply sorry for your loss; I know the doctors did everything they could.” “Do you have any family, anyone you can call?” “No,” the boy said, “nobody at all.” The nurse said, “Well, I will be your family during your stay.” “And will make sure you are treated in the best way.” A nurse walks into the room