CRABBY OLD MAN
When an old man died in the geriatric ward
of a nursing home in North Platte ,
Nebraska , it was believed that he had
nothing left of any value ..
Later, when the nurses were going through
his meager possessions, They found this
poem . Its quality and content so impressed
the staff that copies were made and
distributed to every nurse in the hospital
..
One nurse took her copy to Missouri . The
old man's sole bequest to posterity
has since appeared in the Christmas edition
of the News Magazine of the St. Louis
Association for Mental Health. A slide
presentation has also been made based on
his simple, but eloquent, poem.
And this little old man, with nothing left
to give to the world, is now the author of
this 'anonymous' poem winging
across the Internet.
Crabby Old Man
What do you see nurses? . . What do you
see?
What are you thinking . . . . . when
you're looking at me?
A crabby old man, . ... . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with
faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food . . .. . . . . and
makes no reply .
When you say in a loud voice .. . . . ..
'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . . the things
that you do .
And forever is losing . . . . .. . . . . .
A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . . . . .. . . .
lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding The long day to
fill?
Is that what you're thinking? Is
that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . .
you're not looking at me ..
I'll tell you who I am . As I sit here
so still,
As I do at your bidding, . . . . . . as I
eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten .. . . . . .
with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . ... . . . . .
who love one another.
A young boy of Sixteen . . with wings on
his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . . .. .. . . a
lover he'll meet..
A groom soon at Twenty . my heart gives a
leap.
Remembering, the vows . . . . . . that I
promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . . . . I have
young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . . And a secure
happy home.
A man of Thirty . . . . .. . . . .. My
young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . . . . . With ties
that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. . have grown and
are gone,
But my woman's beside me . . . . . . .
to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, babies play
'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . . . . My
loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . my wife is now
dead.
I look at the future ... . . . . . . . . .
shudder with dread..
For my young are all rearing . . . . . ..
young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . and the love
that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . . . .. . .
and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age . . . . look like
a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . . . . . grace
and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone . . . . . . . where I
once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . . a young guy
still dwells,
And now and again . . . .. . . . my
battered heart swells.
I remember the joys . . . . . . . . . I
remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . . ..
. . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . . . .
. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . . . . that
nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people . . . . . . . .
open and see.
Not a crabby old man. Look closer . . . .
see ME!!
Remember this poem when you next meet an
older person who you might brush aside
without looking at the young soul within .
. . . we will all, one day, be there, too!
PLEASE SHARE THIS POEM
The best and most beautiful things of this
world can't be seen or touched. They
must be felt by the heart.
God Bless All who read this Poem
and send it to those on
"YOUR"
mailing list
CRABBY OLD MAN
When an old man died in the geriatric ward
of a nursing home in North Platte ,
Nebraska , it was believed that he had
nothing left of any value ..
Later, when the nurses were going through
his meager possessions, They found this
poem . Its quality and content so impressed
the staff that copies were made and
distributed to every nurse in the hospital
..
One nurse took her copy to Missouri . The
old man's sole bequest to posterity
has since appeared in the Christmas edition
of the News Magazine of the St. Louis
Association for Mental Health. A slide
presentation has also been made based on
his simple, but eloquent, poem.
And this little old man, with nothing left
to give to the world, is now the author of
this 'anonymous' poem winging
across the Internet.
Crabby Old Man
What do you see nurses? . . What do you
see?
What are you thinking . . . . . when
you're looking at me?
A crabby old man, . ... . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with
faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food . . .. . . . . and
makes no reply .
When you say in a loud voice .. . . . ..
'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . . the things
that you do .
And forever is losing . . . . .. . . . . .
A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . . . . .. . . .
lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding The long day to
fill?
Is that what you're thinking? Is
that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . .
you're not looking at me ..
I'll tell you who I am . As I sit here
so still,
As I do at your bidding, . . . . . . as I
eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten .. . . . . .
with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . ... . . . . .
who love one another.
A young boy of Sixteen . . with wings on
his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . . .. .. . . a
lover he'll meet..
A groom soon at Twenty . my heart gives a
leap.
Remembering, the vows . . . . . . that I
promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . . . . I have
young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . . And a secure
happy home.
A man of Thirty . . . . .. . . . .. My
young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . . . . . With ties
that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. . have grown and
are gone,
But my woman's beside me . . . . . . .
to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, babies play
'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . . . . My
loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . my wife is now
dead.
I look at the future ... . . . . . . . . .
shudder with dread..
For my young are all rearing . . . . . ..
young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . and the love
that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . . . .. . .
and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age . . . . look like
a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . . . . . grace
and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone . . . . . . . where I
once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . . a young guy
still dwells,
And now and again . . . .. . . . my
battered heart swells.
I remember the joys . . . . . . . . . I
remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . . ..
. . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . . . .
. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . . . . that
nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people . . . . . . . .
open and see.
Not a crabby old man. Look closer . . . .
see ME!!
Remember this poem when you next meet an
older person who you might brush aside
without looking at the young soul within .
. . . we will all, one day, be there, too!
PLEASE SHARE THIS POEM
The best and most beautiful things of this
world can't be seen or touched. They
must be felt by the heart.
God Bless All who read this Poem
4337 This is all to real for I have worked in a
nursing home and there are people that
never have a visitor and some workers have
no compassion for anything just show up and
get things done like a robot and the
patients are like a box of stuff they mus
move to get things done. Makes one stop and
think how we must treat everyone.
Thanks for sharing. Sara
1105
1042 I have not seen this before but I can say that it let me with tears pours down my cheeks. Thanks for posting this.
5962 I always cry when I read this, & wonder where & how I'll be in another 10 yrs. when I'm in my 80s. Geriatrics was the field God put me in. I always had a love for the elderly. Now I catch myself saying that elderly person & Lordy I am one of them. LOL I hope you all keep a copy of this & read it every now & then. *
53770 Oh, my! I know two places I need to send this right now. I've never seen this before, thanks so much! Hugs, Marji
22366
7294
514 I think anyone - with an elder in their life - needs to read this - it should be posted in each and every room in an assisted living, too. Thanks!
89910
345
10668
6847 thank you, I must be getting a silly old fool as I sit here with tears in my eyes.However my brothers daughter is coming to visit her old autie from Holland with her friends for coffee shortly.Wonderful story. Will see if I can copy and paste to post this on.
16990
51376
Amen to that. One day it may be any of us.