Whose Children?
Gerri Harvey
Whose children are those
The ones with that hair?
Or the ones who won't answer
Except with a stare?
Whose children are those
The ones who smell bad?
Whose children are those
Looking lonely and scared?
And whose child is THAT
With the insolent face?
Whose child is that
Who won't stay in his place?
I stand here and watch them
The first day of school
The rowdy, the moody
The the very un-cool.
I used to wonder
But I no longer ask
If there is a parent
Needs taking to task.
For I know that no matter
In understanding I've grown.
There are raw tender places
Where spirit meets bone.
I am a school nurse
I can "see" past the skin
And I know I must care
From without and within.
Open your eyes
But see with your heart
For nursing is science
And nursing is art.
Those children are mine
Whether big ones or small
They are yours, mine and ours
They belong to us all.
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Copyrighted 2002: Gerri Harvey
