Poems

These poems act as field notes and are reflections from my encounters with the nurses, describing the impressions that they left on me. They were created while attempting to articulate the images and impressions that I had in my mind when I heard or reflected on the nurses’ stories.

  • Person near a river with a hand making a finger heart gesture in the foreground, trees lining the riverbank, calm water, and a clear sky at sunset.

    The fullest days beginning and ending in the same place Travelling far to care, hidden from view Home and away nurturing needs closely Global cycles, a round home

    Solongo
  • Various black and white decorative stones on a wooden surface with sunlight and shadow.

    Gifted with transitions, Opening windows, moving tides The intangible goes outside Transforming through work, different roles And different endings

    Stephen
  • Close-up of a person with their hand resting on their chest, wearing a green bracelet, with a blurry background.

    Plants hold memories for other plants The feet walk the experiences into stories Seeing. Similarity. Activating echoes. The machines help with impossible tasks Simply requesting these stories is enough.

    Alessandra
  • A face shield, medical mask, and a bottle of hand sanitizer on the ground near a riverbank, with the river water reflecting the sky and clouds.

    Gradually revealing the weight of the work Tender fragile bodies Risks that endure Long timelines with long endings and here a harmonious conclusion

    Amelia
  • Hospital room with bed, medical equipment, a bedside tray, a chair near the window, and a scenic view of buildings and trees outside.

    Carrying work, life and death Managing others Present and elsewhere With all the risks of existence and then a second shift.

    April
  • A small brown bird perched on a branch amid dense twigs and yellowing leaves in a garden.

    Amongst humour, loss. Repeatedly witnessed through Printed pyjamas, then Imprinted on the inside Small places, tangled people Bumping into work online Months of repair for unknown results Can't revisit. Almost all is withdrawn.

    Elspeth Annette
  • A cloudy day at a beach with a small stream flowing into the ocean. There are three people: one near the stream, and two walking on the sand. Trees and a rock jetty are visible in the background.

    Constellations of decision-making Pieces that don't fit Seeing far into where it goes But holding back It's someone else's move

    Margaret
  • A person holding a pair of red boxing gloves hanging from a string against a sunset over a rural landscape.

    Absorbing throughout the years, Over large distances Learning, growing, caring alongside Casual agressors, a racist world

    Margot
  • Medical training or demonstration with a mannequin in a clinical room, five clinical staff and a doctor or instructor.

    Observing herself being seen Staging, directing revealing other sides of work and life In conflict and in colony Floating with new formations Into quantum tunnels

    Mokaf