They Smile
They come to work in pastel uniforms,
And, greet their patients with their brightest smile.
They meet and know each patient by his name.
They bring to this most cheerless place a warmth
Of friendliness, despite the bone-cold fear
That floods the room.
Reclining chairs surround, the space where
Patients sit as chemo drips through needle-fangs,
From snake-like tubes that wind around the tree stands
By their sides.
And, yet, despite the anger, pain and fright displayed
Upon the faces of the patients, young and old,
The nurses smile while consciously
Aware that death stands shadow-dim behind each chair,
As cancer does its devil-dance,
While Hope and Faith stand ever by.
poem by Lynn W. Petty
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Happy World Nurses Day 2012! ' (Advance Wishes from a Doctor)
Nurses are …
The ones who aid the doctors heal,
With tender loving care;
The ones who watch the patients feel
The pain, and help them fare!
The ones who stay bed-side and see
The sufferings of those ill;
The ones who treat the malady
By checking drugs and bill!
The ones who say words of kindness
To allay fear, console;
The ones who bring back happiness
To patients by their role!
The ones who make the beds for sick,
And tuck them off to sleep;
The ones who raise, bring down the wick,
Responding to each beep!
The ones who work the magic full,
And keep the ailing clean;
Those ones bring heaven upon hell,
To sick in earthly scene!
poem by John Celes
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Sonnet: Advice to Doctors
No patient’s mine; no patient remains yours;
The patient comes and goes from Doc to Doc;
If he improves, we simply then rejoice,
Though God’s the key to the diagnostic-lock!
All patients ail and expect some relief;
A doctor’s duty is to help him out;
All patients speak the truth; Time is the thief;
To use his knowledge best, all Doctors ought.
Fleece not the poor; cheat not the ones who’re sick;
God is the Healer prime; He uses us;
Off not life’s candle-flame with intact wick;
The Doctor shirking work invites God’s curse!
Lose not Ethics; lose not your morals, Doc!
Like patients, Doctors are part of God’s flock.
8-28-2002
poem by John Celes
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The 2 million people who work in the NHS and social care are also themselves patients and users. I know they all want to treat patients and users the way they and their families would want to be treated and that is the purpose of our reforms.
quote by Patricia Hewitt
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Old Dr. Valentine To His Son
Your hopeless patients will live,
Your healthy patients will die.
I have only this word to give:
Wonder, and find out why
poem by Ogden Nash
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Come On Be Brave! ' (By My Great Niece Kitty Cotton 11 yrs)
Doctors rushing everywhere,
Up and down the aisles,
Patients crying, panicking,
‘Are there any rooms to spare! ’
The parents would say.
Nurses rushing everywhere,
In and out of rooms,
Patients crying, panicking,
‘Don’t worry, all our nurses care! ’
The chief doctor would say
Into the staff rooms,
Into the offices,
Doctors crying, panicking
‘Oh come on be brave, it’ll all be over soon! ’
© Kitty Cotton
poem by Ernestine Northover
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My Clinic
My clinic is a ‘church’ in which I pray;
Not many patients flock in anyway;
Some rosaries I manage to well say;
This keeps both devils and my foes away.
The ones that come are poorer than they seem;
‘The rich in cars come only in my dream.’
Most patients brush their teeth with only neem;
My words of solace make their faces gleam.
So, can I fleece my brethren poor and ill?
Can I then hand them inflated a bill?
Can I charge them for just a sample pill?
They live despite the doctor’s care by ‘will! ’
I long to see more patients but be wise;
I dare not try to anyway entice;
My profession is sacrosanct and nice;
I cannot let it turn into a vice!
The only thing I hate is waste my time;
The other thing I hate’s a rainy clime;
But everyday, I write aplenty rime;
I never mind if I earn just a dime!
I scooter daily not more than a mile;
I feel so happy seeing patients smile;
Becoming rich is not my beloved style;
My heart abounds with joy when poor souls file.
When will my practice pick up? - I don’t know;
To God, my art of healing, I just owe;
Rewards in heaven wait for righteous, oh!
To ways God makes me walk, I say not, ‘No! ’
Copyright by Dr John Celes 7-10-2006
poem by John Celes
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20,000 Patients
Realize,
Foremost,
With 20,000 patients!
But accountability is what we need;
And like the investigative act of your muse in the land of trouble,
But you still need the research of my academic studies to help all these patients.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Depression can seem worse than terminal cancer, because most cancer patients feel loved and they have hope and self-esteem.
quote by David D. Burns
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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International Nurses’ Day,2009
Long time ago, a Nightingale
In human form, from Florence town,
Had rent the air, with tunes of joy,
Comfort and hope and painfree days,
For ailing souls and suffering ones,
And those about to die!
Known as the ‘Lady with the Lamp’,
She went across from bed to bed,
In hospitals and zones of war,
To heal the sick and bandage wounds,
From dawn to dusk and through the night,
With smiling face that made all bright!
The Founder of the nursing stock,
Had left her hundreds of her flock,
To render loving care for all
Diseased and sick, in throes of death,
Awaiting exit from this earth,
To where, suffering has no birth!
May nurses all, follow her call,
To render service globally,
To patients distressed by disease,
In times of war and times of peace,
And make the earth a paradise,
For just a paltry price!
The world can’t go on sans nurses!
The profession must noble stay;
And bestow love that patients need,
By selfless service, without greed.
Greetings to nurses on this day!
Let fame and fortune come your way;
All doctors join me, just to say,
‘A Truly, Happy Nurses’ Day! ’
Fondly dedicated to all nurses,
By the Dean, IRT PMC, Perundurai.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 5-12-2009
poem by John Celes
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So it's been a slow process and it's taken some patience. That's why patients are called patients I think - patience is required.
quote by Bowie Kuhn
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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08 Hospital - Hospitality
I visited Hospital for a check up on an orthopaedic operation I had a few years ago. This acrostic shows my observations.
H opelessness people straring so blankly
O rthopaedic - brittle bones - broken bones
S miling nurses giving reassurance
P atients - patience - porters - posteriors
In patients - out patients - impatience
T rollies with bodies - scalpels and tea
A nxious wait - X-ray and full body scan
L ets go before they amputate everything!
John Knight - 6 March 2011
poem by John Knight
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The heart of a tree
With branches reaching out as if for a embrace
The tree may bow to nature with grace.
He stands alone when the wind blows strong.
The leaves may fall, but the tree stands tall.
There are some things that the eyes can't see.
Like the heart of a tree.
In winter's cold chill, You can see the tree stand still.
Leaves are gone but the tree stands strong.
Until winter turns into spring and the birds begin to sing.
The leaves may fall, but the tree stands tall.
There are some things that the eyes can't see.
Like the heart of a tree.
Through storms and the wind. Bowing with a graceful bend,
Until the sun shines again, still standing at the end,
The tree is like a true friend.
The leaves may fall, but the tree stands tall.
There are some things that the eye can't see,
Like the heart of a tree.
The old Tree's secrets
How many lovers sat together under the old tree?
If only the tree could speak.
The stories would be of weary travelers
finding a place of peace, and dreams in their sleep.
Stolen moments of lovers, perhaps a sweet caress.
A young man with a ring, a young girl said yes.
Tree I only imagine, I enjoy the guess.
Gentle breezes that lifted the leaves
to let them gently fall to earth.
Misting rain to meet the tree's thirst,
Perhaps two trees inter-twined are
Two lovers that were curst.
poem by Judy Arline Puckett
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We have really good data that show when you take patients and you really inform them about their choices, patients make more frugal choices. They pick more efficient choices than the health care system does.
quote by Donald Berwick
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Stand in The Rain
She stands bellow the tree,
As she looks out towards the sea.
Her eyes see the blue, yet her mind is lost,
It has left her on it's journey remembering what it lost.
The breeze blows though her dark crimson hair,
And still she does not blink, she only stares.
She stares though nothing only seeing pain,
The pain that has left her standing in the rain.
The rain falls around her on the sea,
Yet still she stands under the tree,
It will not leave her, it will not go,
What she has seen will never go,
She will always remain alone,
She remains in the wind as it moans,
She feels movement of the air,
Yet she does not hear it, she does not fear,
Se fears not the storm, only the pain,
She stands by the side of the sea, stands in the rain.
She stands here, still,
As the pain begons to kill.
She stands and looks past her heart through the pain,
As she stands in the rain.
poem by Bethany Maxwell
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I am about to get involved with the biggest cancer hospital in Norway. They are building a fitness center to work with patients. I will be a consultant.
quote by Grete Waitz
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Party
Laughter filled the room;
Streamers decorated the ceiling-
My fourth birthday,
I knew I was beautiful in
My favorite party dress-
Lights dimmed as
I blew out the candles
On my cake-
Cherry frosting upon
Angel food,
My very favorite-
Inside I was
Echoing my mother’s smile-
I was a different star,
Though bright and
Beaming with happiness –
I loved myself-
A different star,
Though too young to fathom
Life’s meaning,
Too naïve to
Read the pain behind my mother’s smile-
Trees would shed illumination upon
My inner space,
Surrounding our New England mansion and
Their branches tossed about in the
Late January wind-
One day that star’s light would burn out,
That I could not then foresee-
Lying on a hard blue mattress in a seclusion room,
Only ten years later,
My life would transform to
The land of the dead-
Rain would inundate my inner space,
As my mother would lie motionless in her bed,
Covers rumpled and nobody cared-
Nobody cared that I was screaming inside, and
Cut off from reality-
Streamers adorned the ceiling in a different place-
My 15th birthday spent listening to records
On a scratched phonograph in a hospital solarium,
The foul stench of urine permeating the room as
I, lost in another time and space,
Blew out the candle on the stale Hostess cupcake as
Other patients sang “Happy birthday”
Each in their own key-
I hardly remembered
My favorite party dress, or the cherry frosting because
The anger and pain I felt
Were just to overpowering-
The late January wind
Rattled the cracked window in the seclusion room-
“Happy birthday” became the saddest song-
I was hardly beautiful in
That seersucker hospital gown,
The hatred I felt towards myself
Was becoming as overwhelming as
The rage I felt towards my mother-
For giving birth to me-
This institution was a far cry from
That New England mansion and
I was weeping inside bitter tears of despair-
The lights were dimming, and I didn’t care-
Because my world had become so dark already that
I could not distinguish reality from unreality, and
My mother’s smile was
None but a shadow, which has
Vanished in the cruel late January wind...
poem by Claudia Krizay
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Sonnet: The Patient Poor!
The smiles of gratitude on being healed,
That lights the face of patients very poor,
Gives satisfaction more than covers sealed
From patients wearing shoes high-heeled and fur!
The etiquette of villagers unread,
Surpasses that of urban men ‘degreed’,
Well-dressed in foreign cars, overly fed,
With haughty laughter, showing off their greed!
Oh, what a lovely heart, the poor man has!
His humble voice and stance can lure the Doc;
Diseases strike more poor bodies; Alas,
For them, the health-providers scarcely talk!
The coins of love that patients poor empty
Are worth more weight in gold than dollars free!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 6-1-2006
poem by John Celes
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Not to test patience
Patients are patient;
Peasants are patient.
Exploitations mount.
Explosions are due.
27.01.2012
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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Infection Or Infatuation
Last night, from across a crowded room
She infected me with her smile
And this morning, I discovered
It hurt like hell when I peed
In this age of AIDS and SARS
One can't be too careful
Condoms, face masks and more
But how do you protect yourself from a smile?
From across that room, our eyes met
Her smile bridged the distance between us
An intimate moment, between two strangers
An imagined one night stand
Now one night stands have their dangers
Your conquest might be a psycho who won't let go
Not to mention pregnancy or STD'S
Hope I don't have one of those
But how could I? It was only a smile
Granted unlike any smile I had ever seen before
Still, it was only a smile and nothing more
Then why do I have this pain
Call the Urologist, make an appointment
See him the next day, tests taken
Questions asked, unprotected sex?
I told him about her smile and he laughed
Two days later, test results back
No sexually transmitted disease, thank God
Just your run of the mill kidney stone
All of the pain, without any of the pleasure
poem by Harry J. Couchon Jr
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I’m so happy to note…
That someone so well known to me,
Who worked quite hard in life for long,
Has found mind’s peace and harmony,
And sings aloud a blissful song!
That someone who deserved limelight,
Has found his golden touch at last,
And has become to patients, ‘Light’,
With his own venture very fast.
That someone who admired much,
For patient teaching of students,
For wisdom, knowledge, skills, talents,
Has found at last, his golden touch.
That one good heart is heart of town,
As cardiac doctor of renown,
And saving hearts that fail to work,
And giving life to ‘dead’ by jerk!
‘I wish you all the best, doctor!
God is the healing True Factor!
Your smiling face, I wish to see,
As patients thank you heartily! ’
Fondly dedicated to Dr. N. Bhaskar, M.D., D.M.,
Cardiologist, CBE
poem by John Celes
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