A Nurse’s Balance:
Work and Life
She comes home exhausted, a blank, far stare
Twelve hours of work, Twelve hours of care
Her feet are swollen from the miles paced
Insurmountable odds the patient faced
Drips, drops, and drains
Stretching skills and brains
Orders checked twice
Measurements precise
Not forgetting the person
Whose body seems to worsen
An art and a science intertwine
Seeing both their passion and IV line
Dripping with medicine’s greatest advances
Yet, family uncured from their stolen chances
She prepares pain meds, through syringes she gives
And despite her wisdom, she hopes he lives
She delivers her shoulder to all who need
A tender gesture, the family concedes
She watches the monitor. He gives his last breath
She watches the family, grieving his death
The family leaves; and with dignity she bathes
His body with soap, his soul with faith
Her shift is over, she is startled by a sound
Her gaze shifts as her toddler runs around
She is home in comfort, but her mind aloft
Brought back into the present, her baby’s hair so soft
She tucks him into bed, and kisses him goodnight
Tomorrow is another day she whispers to moonlight
This nurse is up again at early dawn,
A new patient to care for, with a smile on
She braces herself to take on the day
Missing her son, and grieving the patient from yesterday.
Code White Blog 