What do you see What do you see nurse? What do nurse? What do you see? you see? What are you What are you thinking.....when thinking.....when you're looking at you're looking at me? me? A crabby old A crabby old man, ...not very man, ...not very wise,wise,Uncertain of Uncertain of habit .......with habit .......with faraway eyes?faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his Who dribbles his food.......and food.......and makes no reply. makes no reply. When you say in a When you say in a loud voice.....'I do loud voice.....'I do wish you'd try!' wish you'd try!' Who seems not to Who seems not to notice ..the things notice ..the things that you do.that you do.

And forever is And forever is losing .... A sock losing .... A sock or shoe?or shoe?

Who, resisting or Who, resisting or not...........lets not...........lets you do as you you do as you will, will, With bathing and With bathing and feeding ... The feeding ... The long day to fill? long day to fill? Is that what Is that what you're thinking? Is you're thinking? Is that what you that what you see?see?Then open your Then open your eyes, eyes, nurse......you're nurse......you're not looking at me.not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I I'll tell you who I am .......... As I am .......... As I sit here so still,sit here so still,As I do at your As I do at your bidding, ....as I bidding, ....as I eat at your will. eat at your will. I'm a small child I'm a small child of ten.......with a of ten.......with a father and father and mother,mother, Brothers and Brothers and sisters .........whsisters .........who love one o love one another. another.

A young boy of A young boy of sixteen ..with sixteen ..with wings on his feetwings on his feetDreaming that Dreaming that soon now. .......a soon now. .......a lover he'll meet. lover he'll meet. A groom soon at A groom soon at twenty ......my twenty ......my heart gives a heart gives a leap.leap.Remembering, Remembering, the vows......that I the vows......that I promised to keep. promised to keep.

At twenty-five At twenty-five now .......... I now .......... I have young of my have young of my own.own.Who need me to Who need me to guide .... And a guide .... And a secure happy secure happy home. home. A man of A man of thirty ........ My thirty ........ My young now grown young now grown fast, fast, Bound to each Bound to each other ........ With other ........ With ties that should ties that should last.last.

At forty my At forty my young young sons ...have sons ...have grown and are grown and are gone,gone,But my woman's But my woman's beside me.......to beside me.......to see I don't see I don't mourn. mourn. At fifty, once At fifty, once more, ......... more, ......... Babies play Babies play 'round my knee,'round my knee,Again, we know Again, we know children ..... My children ..... My loved one and loved one and me.me.

Dark days are Dark days are upon me ......... upon me ......... My wife is now My wife is now dead. dead. I look at the I look at the future ...............future ...............I shudder with I shudder with dread. dread. For my young For my young are all are all rearing......younrearing......young of their own.g of their own.And I think of And I think of the years... And the years... And the love that I've the love that I've known.known.

I'm now an old I'm now an old man.........and man.........and nature is cruel. nature is cruel. 'Tis jest to make 'Tis jest to make old age ....look old age ....look like a fool. like a fool. The body, it The body, it crumbles, grace crumbles, grace and vigor depart.and vigor depart.There is now a There is now a stone........where stone........where I once had a I once had a

heart.heart.

But inside this old But inside this old carcass ...... A carcass ...... A young guy still young guy still dwells,dwells,And now and And now and again ......my again ......my battered heart battered heart swells swells I remember the I remember the joys........... I joys........... I remember the remember the pain.pain.And I'm loving And I'm loving and and living.............life living.............life over again.over again.

I think of the I think of the years all too years all too few......gone too few......gone too fast.fast.And accept the And accept the stark stark fact........that fact........that nothing can nothing can last. last. So open your So open your eyes eyes people ...open people ...open and see..and see..Not a crabby old Not a crabby old man, look man, look closer....see.....closer....see.....ME!! ME!!

Remember Remember this poem this poem when you next when you next meet an older meet an older person who person who you might you might brush aside brush aside without without looking at the looking at the young soul young soul within....we within....we will all, one will all, one day, be there, day, be there, too!too!

When the old man died in the When the old man died in the geriatric ward of a small geriatric ward of a small

hospital near Tampa, Florida, it hospital near Tampa, Florida, it was believed that he had was believed that he had

nothing left of any value. Later, nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going when the nurses were going

through his meager through his meager possessions, they found the possessions, they found the poem you have just read. Its poem you have just read. Its

quality and content so quality and content so impressed the staff that copies impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. I every nurse in the hospital. I made this slide presentation made this slide presentation

based on his simple but based on his simple but eloquent, poem. eloquent, poem.