Some Days
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 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 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
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
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
This collaborative poem was created by Kent State University’s College of Nursing faculty, students and alumni during Healing Stanzas writing workshops, conducted in 2017 by the Wick Poetry Center. Edited by David Hassler; illustration by Each+Every.