41. The Hospital
There is an air of anxious purpose
As the nurses make their rounds.
Pleas from far too many patients,
Blend with countless urgent sounds.
To the bells and beeps of monitors
And the ringing of the phones,
Join the questions from computers
And the doctors’ hurried tones.
Just outside, our world keeps spinning
Round a million miles a day.
And we rush about too quickly
In our work and in our play.
So it should not be surprising
That we find a need for care,
As the risks of age and nature
Send us racing to be there.
To this world within a world we come
In search of healing skill.
And we pray the price of frailty
Not be great enough to kill.
In our need, we trust our lives and dreams
With those who’ve pledged their souls,
That their caring give us comfort,
That their healing make us whole.
Amidst this babble and confusion
Is a fight with pain and death,
By the young and old who struggle
For another hopeful breath.
We see the very best in these
Who see us at our worst,
We are baffled by their courage,
And we marvel at their worth.
How dare they care so much for those
Who may die before their eyes?
How can they bear our seniors’ fears,
And our children’s anguished cries?
We ask too much of these who leave
The friends and loves they’ve known.
To spend their days, and nights, with us,
And make their hearts our home.
(c) www.servingjesuspoetry.com
All non-commercial usage allowed.
Context (1994)
One hot Spring day, severe chest pains sent me speeding to the Emergency Room of a local hospital. Fortunately, I learned that I was not really having a heart attack. The ER was “standing room only” with gurneys crammed everywhere. All around me were scenes of great pain, and great compassion. Many elderly were receiving urgent treatment for breathing disorders, and a little girl cried loudly as a nurse removed glass embedded in her knee. I borrowed a pen from a nurse (I regret she never got it back), and scribbled furiously on those intake sheets you get when you arrive. I could not write fast enough. It was an experience which changed my life forever.
Update
In December of 2014, a grievous bacterial infection humbled me and again affirmed the enduring, even holy, merit of nurses, doctors, and technicians. Through days of their service in an outpatient setting, I was not merely saved mortally, but spiritually. I learned, again, that one of the terrible threats of illness and injury is the risk of emotional discouragement arising from physical misery.
I speedily confess I can never adequately thank my healers. The sheer magnitude of their service and compassion overwhelmed me. While I hoped and, occasionally, believed, unseen angels hovered over my sick bed, I saw and felt the tender ministrations of mortal angels every day. But for their care and mercy, I could not have endured the crisis.
My message to each of them: "God bless you. God bless your families. God give you joy now and forever. YOU ARE HEAVEN'S HANDS. Never, ever, doubt your divine worth. I testify that wonders beyond words are reserved for you when your life's work is done! And when you report before the Lord, I shall kneel before the royal throne, bear fervent witness of your goodness, and beg for peace and eternal blessing on your heads."
There is an air of anxious purpose
As the nurses make their rounds.
Pleas from far too many patients,
Blend with countless urgent sounds.
To the bells and beeps of monitors
And the ringing of the phones,
Join the questions from computers
And the doctors’ hurried tones.
Just outside, our world keeps spinning
Round a million miles a day.
And we rush about too quickly
In our work and in our play.
So it should not be surprising
That we find a need for care,
As the risks of age and nature
Send us racing to be there.
To this world within a world we come
In search of healing skill.
And we pray the price of frailty
Not be great enough to kill.
In our need, we trust our lives and dreams
With those who’ve pledged their souls,
That their caring give us comfort,
That their healing make us whole.
Amidst this babble and confusion
Is a fight with pain and death,
By the young and old who struggle
For another hopeful breath.
We see the very best in these
Who see us at our worst,
We are baffled by their courage,
And we marvel at their worth.
How dare they care so much for those
Who may die before their eyes?
How can they bear our seniors’ fears,
And our children’s anguished cries?
We ask too much of these who leave
The friends and loves they’ve known.
To spend their days, and nights, with us,
And make their hearts our home.
(c) www.servingjesuspoetry.com
All non-commercial usage allowed.
Context (1994)
One hot Spring day, severe chest pains sent me speeding to the Emergency Room of a local hospital. Fortunately, I learned that I was not really having a heart attack. The ER was “standing room only” with gurneys crammed everywhere. All around me were scenes of great pain, and great compassion. Many elderly were receiving urgent treatment for breathing disorders, and a little girl cried loudly as a nurse removed glass embedded in her knee. I borrowed a pen from a nurse (I regret she never got it back), and scribbled furiously on those intake sheets you get when you arrive. I could not write fast enough. It was an experience which changed my life forever.
Update
In December of 2014, a grievous bacterial infection humbled me and again affirmed the enduring, even holy, merit of nurses, doctors, and technicians. Through days of their service in an outpatient setting, I was not merely saved mortally, but spiritually. I learned, again, that one of the terrible threats of illness and injury is the risk of emotional discouragement arising from physical misery.
I speedily confess I can never adequately thank my healers. The sheer magnitude of their service and compassion overwhelmed me. While I hoped and, occasionally, believed, unseen angels hovered over my sick bed, I saw and felt the tender ministrations of mortal angels every day. But for their care and mercy, I could not have endured the crisis.
My message to each of them: "God bless you. God bless your families. God give you joy now and forever. YOU ARE HEAVEN'S HANDS. Never, ever, doubt your divine worth. I testify that wonders beyond words are reserved for you when your life's work is done! And when you report before the Lord, I shall kneel before the royal throne, bear fervent witness of your goodness, and beg for peace and eternal blessing on your heads."