At The End Of A Nurse's Day

Seven o'clock! And the nurse's work
Was done for another day;
She heaved a sort of tired sigh,
And put the charts away;

Then sat for a moment and bowed her head
Over the little white desk;
"I wonder," she said to herself, "After all,
Am I really doing my best?

"Perhaps I could have begun the day
With a Brighter, cheerier smile,
And answered the bells with a 'right away,'
Instead of an 'after awhile’,

“And I might have listened with sweeter grace,
To the story of 6's woes;
She may be suffering more, perhaps,
More than anyone knows.

“And I, might have refrained from that half-way frown,
(Although I was busy then)
When that frail little body, with sad blue eyes,
Kept ringing again and again.

"And I might have spoken a kindlier word,
To the heart of that restless boy,
And stopped a moment to help him find
The missing part of his toy.

"Or perhaps the patient in 18 A,
Just needed a kindlier touch;
There are lots of things that I might have done,
And it wouldn't have taken much."

She sighed again and brushed a tear;
Then whispered, praying low,
"O, God, how can you accept this day,
When it has been lacking so?"

And God looked down; He heard that sigh,
And saw that shining tear;
So sent His Angel Messenger,
To whisper in her ear:

"Perhaps, you could have done better today,
But, ah, the Omnipotent One,
Se-Ming your fault doesn't forget
The beautiful things you've done.

If He knows, little nurse, that you love, your work,
In this Big House of Sorrow,
So gladly forgives the lack of today,
For you will do better tomorrow."

And the nurse looked up, with the tenderest smile,
"To-morrow, I'll make it right,”
Then added a note in the order book,
Be good to them tonight!

-Alice Hansche Sorensen, R. N.