posted September 22, 2005 04:58 PM         

When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near
Dundee, Scotland, it was believed that she had nothing left of any
value. Later, when the nurses were going through her 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 Ireland. The old lady's sole bequest to
posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News
Magazine of the North Ireland Association for Mental Health. A slide
presentation has also been made based on her simple, but eloquent,
poem. And this little old Scottish lady, with nothing left to give
to the world, is now the author of this "anonymous" poem winging
across the Internet:

** Crabby Old Woman **

What do you see, nurses?
What do you see?
What are you thinking
When you're looking at me?

A crabby old woman,
Not very wise,
Uncertain of habit,
With faraway eyes?

Who dribbles her 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 stocking 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 girl of sixteen
With wings on her feet
Dreaming that soon now
A lover she'll meet.

A bride 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 woman 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 man'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 husband is dead,
I look at the future,
I 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 woman
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 girl 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 woman;
Look closer . see ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an old person who you might
brush aside without looking at the young soul within . . we will
all, one day, be there, too!

posted September 22, 2005 06:03 PM         

They have so much to offer if only we would take the time to listen. I loved hearing about days gone by, it is a time that we will never experience or understand. Everything was so much simpler and maybe in someways harder but they made the best of it and we could learn alot from that.

Thanks for sharing that poem with us.

posted September 23, 2005 02:44 AM         

And it's true we all get older... although personally I plan not to live that long

posted September 23, 2005 05:12 AM         

i felt like the feeling i cannot describe.it was neither good nor bad ,it was so different.cannot be put in words.

posted September 23, 2005 09:57 AM         

What a wonderful idea!!!

Thanks for sharing that!!!

Your such a warm and caring soul Bluemoon!!!

posted September 23, 2005 11:58 AM         

Don't you just hate young people? Actually, I'm not really joking. I dislike most people my age and many people in their twenties. But then, it's not like I really like older people either. God, that didn't sound as bad in my head as it does in words!

posted September 25, 2005 10:03 AM         

I know a few older people here.....they are amazing....theirr wisdom and knowledge amazes me......their knowing....

What I really love is listening to them singing in the pub, awesome, like going back 100 years or so, I feel really at home with that.....one of my favourite songs was learnt from an elerly guy called Johnny. God bless him he is sick now and isnt able to get out, but I will always remember the way he sang....the room falling silent, total respect

I too have always felt at ease with elderly ones and I love it when they tell their stories of long ago....it sends shivers thro me.

Thanks for posting that Solane....sweet soul that ye are !!

posted September 25, 2005 10:05 AM         

Of course thats after I have spent a night on "the tear" chasing all the young 60 year old lads ha ha

posted September 25, 2005 11:25 AM         

What a bloody brilliant idea ......we will swear and be outraegous all day and make demands but of course at times be oh so charming.........and then we shall play bingo and then go out on the tear looking for horny young men LOL !!! women we shall so be !!!

Love to you