Down the Road

My forty years in the hospital, 35 years in ICU settings; there were crazy, ridiculous, shifts with people dying a lot and the overwhelming feeling that we couldn't do enough. But those experiences were sporadic, and let's say, not more than one day per week. So, what is happening now to nurses in my profession, is unfathomable. Reading about it is painful, and it drives home to me, how important it is for those agents of good, to talk about it with others who can empathise. PTSD is real, and every one of these workers today, in this crisis time; we want you to survive this, and live long long healthy lives. Whether you need a grief or anger Counselor, do it sooner than later.

Down the Road

During the years that I worked

I wrote very much,

Trying to alleviate the emotions

That get close enough to touch,

A form of escapism

I could call it that,

Working with folks critically ill

Is enough to knock one's psyche flat.

Nowadays PTSD

Is better understood,

One should intervene early

If you want to do any good,

It is difficult to settle it

Miles down the road,

You can pay a lot of dollars

On some ICD-9 codes.