Some Days
IN CELEBRATION OF THE COLLEGE OF NURSING 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Some days you’ll wake up
and know
your life has a purpose
This is who you are—
who you want to be—
a nurse
Your arms will open like doors
welcoming those in need
You do not know all the stories,
but you will learn to become them
Some days you’ll feel a fire in your chest
as if the whole world is burning
You’ll feel your tongue fold inward,
the weight of unspoken words
flutters in your stomach
and clogs in your throat
Some days your heart will crumble like crust
and when the beeping stops
you will feel in your nostrils
a burning void
Some days all the lines and scribbles
of your life
will make a picture
You’ll feel like being a daisy
though everyone around you
wants you to be a rose
Never forget nature’s healing touch
or the comfort
of a wrinkled hand
reaching out to you
Some days your heart will feel
heavy with hope
You’ll wipe away the worries
and the why me’s
and realize hurt
and healing
are not so different
Some days you’ll dream
of helping families heal,
feel the flush of knowing
you made a difference
Your face
will not be big enough
to contain your smile
Some days you’ll reach for the stars,
wishing you had longer arms
You’ll break into a million pieces
and call yourself confetti
or look at another and feel
for just that moment
everything is right with the world
Some days you’ll hide your sadness
behind your smile
believing tears are weakness
Other days you’ll draw
from that salty, replenishing river
and know it’s okay to cry
Some days you’ll tune your heart
to your patient’s
like perfectly synced pendulums
Other days you’ll scream
with angry frustration
grasp a life in your hands
as it fades away
yet still believe
it is worth it.
Who will wipe the face of the unknown?
Who will care for the lonely in the room?
Your patient is more
than a disease
more than a chart—
beyond the data
of vitals and stats
Some days you’ll enter
your patient’s pain
And though you cannot always bring relief
you can be present,
their humanity pooled in your hand
Your mouth can speak
a powerful magic
Your heart is
a lighthouse in your body
Remember your patients can teach you lessons
greater than any you will hear
in a lecture hall.
There is no joy
like the seriousness
of a nurse
For when the eyes close
and the breathing slows
you’ll speak directly with death
yet still hear life’s wavering mumble
Some days, with grace and grit,
you’ll know the work of a nurse
is the work of the heart—
sacred and profane
Find your passion,
let it write your story
This is who you are—
who you want to be—
a nurse