At the Nursing HomeA turtle of a man--
brown, leathery skin,
wrinkled neck,
bald head,
tiny eyes--
and a mouth like a beak
(because he had forgotten
to put his dentures in
that morning)
traveled down the hallway.
His teeth were still sitting
on the nightstand by his bed.
Not much snap left in them anymore anyway.
From inside the hard shell
of his wheelchair,
he pulled himself slowly
down the long white tiled floor
with just his shuffling feet
in scuffed leather slippers.
His hands held the elbows
of his arms
pulled up tight
against his stomach
as if he were holding something
to his chest
that he didn't want to share.
He crept along the white hallway
the way a snapping turtle
can sometimes be seen
crawling down a road.
Neither knowing his destination.
No one else knowing either.
Although, he moved by inches,
time was flying quickly by him
like a bird in the air above him.
It swooped just by his head
so close
that he felt the breeze
from its wings
on his ears.
He raised his head
trying to keep his eye on the bird
as it darted past him and away down the hall.
He wanted to catch that bird
and hold it still,
but it moved too fast for him,
and got away from him,
as it does for us all.
10 comments:
What a sweet poem. Its so true how time seems to just fly by us while we go through our busy day. Hope you have a wonderful day. =)
Such a sad place to visit sometimes. I hope I never have to check in.
I love that sweet, old, turtly man.
Thanks for the reminder to live every minute to its fullest.
Kathy, yes, we do get so caught up in our lives that we don't realize how quickly time has passed. It's nice to just stop and take a break from everything once in a while and reflect, I think. Enjoy your weekend! :)
Jen, me too! It can be very sad sometimes but not always. Acceptance is a large part of it. There is a lot of loneliness there but there are also smiles and moments of joy. You have to be looking for them though or sometimes create them if you can. Have a good weekend! :)
Jessica, there are a lot of wonderful people at the nursing home. The man who inspired this poem always smiles and says hello when I pass him in the hallway. Sweet old guy. Hope you have a good weekend! :)
Mildred, I hope you enjoy your weekend. :)
When I worked at a nursing home I saw the same conflicting messages of despair vs elation. The people there were sweet, wise, and ever so kind. I loved the talks we had and the smiles we shared.
This poem had a sad note to it, although you might have had a different emotion in mind as you described one moment, and not the lifetime. Very intesting piece Daisy, it made me think for a moment and analyze the words. Well done!
Thank you, Speedy. Yes, I did have mixed emotions while writing this. I often see someone or something and get an image in my head for a poem.
In this case, I saw this old man moving very slowly down the hall in a wheelchair, and I imagined him to be like a turtle. He was in the "shell" of his wheelchair which protects him, but which he also can not escape from. None of us can escape the passing of time and getting older. The rest of the imagery developed out of that first thought.
It reminded me that we all should enjoy every moment of life that we can because it goes by us so quickly, but it also reminded me that this was just one moment in this gentleman's life and that his past was probably very rich with many other moments that he is now holding onto in his memories.
I guess I was wondering too what sorts of stories of adventure and joy and love were hidden there in his past when he WAS able to move quickly and not be confined to the wheelchair.
Hope you enjoy your Sunday, Speedy. :-)
Fantastic poem Daisy, very touching, descriptive ....I liked it.
Thank you, Sandy. I'm glad you liked that.
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