Tag

Playing keep away with your best friend

I have never seen a more beautiful game

So elegant you land atop the not so pristinely

Trimmed bushes that edge my home

A duel awe at the way you build your house

Right next to mine without embarrassment

That the neighbors might think you are

Weird because you so willingly choose to

Bunk next to me

So stunning is the red in your feathers

Like you are wearing permanent evening

Gowns that seem too lovely for the day

I gaze on

Amazed at how effortlessly you glide

On the wind, letting it carry you to and fro

How you never lose your balance in the sky

I am amazed at how beautiful and elegant

You remain, day in and day our

I am forever in awe of you home, next to mine.

Preservation of Dignity (or lack thereof)

Don’t get me wrong, I loved interacting with the patients, but I hated feeling as though I was stealing what little dignity they had. Being a CNA, you’re supposed to preserve a person’s dignity, but the rules the state mandates just don’t allow that.

The doctors and nurses will tell you that they aren’t even aware anymore. They will say things like, “She doesn’t understand where she is, how would she understand dignity?” Or, “He thinks he is still at home, his wife is alive, and they have a son on the way, do you really think he knows what you’re doing?”

No, maybe they don’t know what I’m doing in that moment, maybe they don’t have a clear understanding of the word “dignity” but looking into their eyes, I saw so much more than just the pain, and the confusion.

The only thing I was allowed to know about my patients is what I had to do to take care of them; the kinds of food they were supposed to eat, the type of socks they were supposed to wear, if they had any physical deformities, or disabilities. I was to know if they needed assistance in walking, or if they were an independent person, just needing checked up on from time to time. I hardly got to know their names. The only way I got to hear their stories, is if I sat down with them, and talked with them like they were a human being. That is the part of the job I loved. The interaction. In those moments I realized I wanted to have a career that involved some form of psychology. I wanted to hear their stories like history lessons I was reading off the pages of a schoolbook. I wanted to soak in  their heritage, their experience, their love and their loss. I wanted to know EVERYTHING outside of their sickness. How can you help someone, if you don’t know them?

 

Okay

Sometimes every person in this world feels like they are falling apart. And that is okay.

The Color of Tears

Look closely at the water that leaks from your eyes

Set in your beautiful, doll like face, red ruby lips

What color do you see?

I see skin streaked cheeks, of melting foundation

A foundation collapsing, and clear skies

Where storm clouds are just waiting to gather

I see red poppy’s lining emeralds hiding the beauty

I see a mask of blue as the salt meets your bare skin

I find in your eyes all of the universes’ questions

But none of the answers

I see purple hearts reflected in you iris, and

You. So beautiful, painted up like a pretty doll

How dare you spill those clear tears and

Streak your flawless skin

Epitaph

David “Davey” Todd Lord

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In loving memory of a son, a grandson, a firefighter, a 4H contender, a Scottsburg high-school graduate, a brother, and a friend.

Forever missed and in our hearts.

We love you.