On being a Nurse

For Prompts and Reviews

Courage born from necessity.
Strength born from caring.
Experience born from being present.

In my life nothing other than motherhood
has challenged me more
than becoming a nurse.

Becoming a nurse takes much longer
than the years spent in a grueling
program at school jumping through
the administrative hoops.

If it were not for the experiences
I have lived through
and other people's experiences
I have lived with them,
I would not know my own
inner strength.
I would not know that I
could be courageous.

For in seeing the depths of despair
and the heights of joy
in people at their most extremes
have I been able to find my place
in this world.
Have I found joy and courage,
pain and love.

Holding a dying woman's hand.
Cleaning infected wounds.
Bathing those too weak to help themselves.
Listening to the tortured minds of the distressed.

And within these experiences
learning that one MUST act.
And in order to act, one MUST
face fears of every order.

And in the face of fear
knowing what to do
the right thing that must be done
one finds the very courage to do it.

And not only have I found courage
within myself.  I have been humbly
able to provide the strength for
other to face their fears
and to act courageously as well.

Author's Note

Prompt: You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Reviews

[Joel M Frye]

Thank you for the poem and the prompt, Judy. Some of these lines cut.

[Richielee]

well being a nurse is a job that takes strength,courage and definatley courage, i dunno about the states but in the uk they are highly thought of by the public but treated like dirt by the paymasters

[Jake Staffeld]

This is great. Really answers the prompt, but more importantly, it sheds light on one of the harshest things anyone could ever do. Bravo.

[Lily Mae]

Your amazing Judy. All you've said here is so true. Seeing my friend in the hospital yesterday, dying slowly from complications due to Type 1 diabetes...and how mean and angry she was to the nurses (not on purpose, but her fear of it all and death) and seeing them still care for her, console her..and give her the best they could offer just made me feel so humbled.. All I could offer the nurse was a wink and a smile..xx I love this write..it represents the care and love given...from anyone who cares for another during rough times, and illness..xxx

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

Bravo! Judy you have done well with this one.