I am a nurse.
An educated nurse.
A profession that doesn’t always fill my purse.
But I swore an oath in the name of the people
to guard their health, to stand and watch like an eagle.

Walking miles a day, standing for hours,
opening endless doors, giving showers.
Facing pain, wounds, pills, and drugs —
and yes, sometimes receiving grateful hugs.

Day after day, life moves this way.
I stand in my place, and here I stay.
Sometimes life hits us with a hammer, sometimes a feather,
 my profession and my soul are stitched together.

I work nights and days, stay longer than planned,
learning to keep my spirit strong and steady at hand.
I go home silent, with nothing to say,
counting the hours till the alarm steals sleep away.

Early morning — only the birds dare sing,
Am I on the right path? my tired mind thinks.
But the moment I open the hospital door,
all my thinking for tomorrow I store.

I wanted to be a nurse. I am a nurse.
A blessing or a curse — maybe both in reverse.
This is my destiny, the choice that I made,
I will never give up – to be a nurse, I’m not afraid.