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#199784 - 02/17/10 06:35 PM A Crabby Old Man
Edelweiss3 Offline


Registered: 11/19/08
Posts: 1758
Loc: American living in Germany
Perhaps this has already been posted here, but if it had, it's still nice to be reminded again of who they were. It makes it easier to deal with who they are now:

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.

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 far away 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 around
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 .....................................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 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!

The best and most beautiful things of this world
can't be seen or touched.
They must be felt by the heart.
_________________________
As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.
Goethe

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#199785 - 02/17/10 06:55 PM Re: A Crabby Old Man [Re: Edelweiss3]
humlan Offline


Registered: 04/15/07
Posts: 1341
Loc: Sweden
Oh Eidelweiss..the tears are just pouring down my face...


I read this, what now seems, like a long time ago. But since then..my former husband and father of all 5 of our children, has had a stoke. And I KNOW what he has inside his shell..I KNOW of all the love and the energy..and intellect (he is a mathematician and physicist)..had done his doctorate many years ago..and worked on our house like he was Schwartzenäger..and he helped me with all the foolish papers that I have deal with on my own now..

but people look at him as tho he either didn´t exist..they look thru him..or they stare at him..because his sense of balance has been badly affected by his stroke..and so they think he is a drunk. He who never drank in access..that´s ME..I could/can..but never him.

O God girl..thank you for this lovely poem!!!!
_________________________
"some sacred place.."

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#199800 - 02/17/10 11:41 PM Re: A Crabby Old Man [Re: humlan]
AvalonBlondi Offline
Member

Registered: 11/07/05
Posts: 1096
Loc: West Chester ,PA
Thank you Eidelweiss...I read this years ago and thought it was special but now as my own age advances and I have witnessed forst hand my parents and husband's parents suffer the humiliations of old age it means so much more...I'm going to print this out and put it on my fridge as a reminder of just how awesome the human spirit is until the very end....

Humlan...my heart is aching after reading your post...I feel so badly for your kids Dad....Life just isn't fair ...God bless you both!
_________________________
Nancy

People may not remember exactly what you said or what you did...but they will always remember how you made them feel

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#199814 - 02/18/10 07:59 PM Re: A Crabby Old Man [Re: AvalonBlondi]
Edelweiss3 Offline


Registered: 11/19/08
Posts: 1758
Loc: American living in Germany
Humlun and Nancy, I think I will translate it and print it out too. And I will hang it up in several places in the nursing home.

It really touches ones heart. It must be terribly difficult for you to see your once strong independent husband so changed, Humlan. Maybe you can translate the poem too, and send it to people who are in contact with him now. Just a thought.
_________________________
As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.
Goethe

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#199822 - 02/19/10 12:39 AM Re: A Crabby Old Man [Re: Edelweiss3]
orchid Offline


Registered: 01/21/07
Posts: 3675
Loc: British Columbia, Canada
Great thing you found there, Edelweiss.

Humlan, though he is your ex at this time in your life, it still must be disconcerting to see how he is treated vs. what you know so much about his intellect.

Recently I wrote an article involving a wheelchair bound person. It will be published in a magazine next month. I had to be firm that the editor keep the name of the person (plus the cyclist). Unfortunately what the wheelchair person used to be like --an active, outdoor person before affected by a stroke...that little paragraph was edited out.

Same problem,...we forget recently disabled people have identities, activities, etc.
_________________________
http://cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com/ (How cycling leads to other types of adventures, thoughts)
http://velourbansism.wordpress.com


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#199829 - 02/19/10 01:23 AM Re: A Crabby Old Man [Re: orchid]
chatty lady Offline
Writer

Registered: 02/24/04
Posts: 20267
Loc: Nevada
This is a perfect example of:

DO UNTO OTHERS AND WE WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO US.
_________________________
Take a peek at my BLOG:

http://charleen-micheles.blogspot.com/


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