Saturday, August 10, 2013

Today You Gained Your Wings

For this assignment I was asked to write a poem about a painting. As school approaches and my final clinical rotations will start for my senior year, this picture reminded me of my first clincial experience I ever had in which my young cancer patient died during the two days I spent with her and her family. This is dedicated to her as I know she is an angel in heaven now.



"Today You Gained Your Wings"

Today you gained your wings
There was nothing more we could do
You fought so hard for so long
Taken too soon from the ones you loved

Today you gained your wings
I sat by your bed watching and hoping
That you would say one last word
As your breathing started to slow

Today you gained your wings
I sat by your side as you took your last breath
I checked your heartbeat
There was silence

Today you gained your wings
Your mother held you 
Tears streaming down her face
As she whispered my baby girl you're in a better place

Today you gained your wings
And started your journey in heaven

By Kelsey Smucker
Posted by at

8 comments:

  1. Melanie HertzlerAugust 10, 2013 at 4:36 PM

    I can't lie...reading you poem brought me to tears. The personal connection with the poem, and seeing the painting with it, it makes it seem all the more valuable. This difficult experience that you encountered seems to have given you more of an outlook on life and death, and it seems like it is very important to you. I like when people put their personal life into artwork, because it tells even more of a story. Beautiful poem, good job.

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  2. UnknownAugust 10, 2013 at 8:34 PM

    Kelsey, this is a thoughtful and beautiful poem! You really express a perfect connection between the painting and your poem. You are going to be a great profession because your are a wonderful caring human being. You did and excellent job!
    Rocio

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  3. Austin VanAugust 11, 2013 at 6:22 PM

    Kelsey, your poem is very moving. I would be interested to see how you wrote it from the other perspectives too. You did a very nice job. Thank you for sharing your poem.

    Austin

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  4. UnknownAugust 11, 2013 at 10:06 PM

    Kelsey, your poem is nice. It can makes somebody want to fly.

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  5. beniethammerAugust 13, 2013 at 4:17 PM

    I thought your poem was very moving and shows a good relationship between the poem and the painting.

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  6. BettyAugust 14, 2013 at 5:20 AM

    Kelsey, you have taken something (death) that most people are afraid of or do not want to think about and have painted a word picture of being present when someone passed to the next life. I didn't know if it was a family member of yours or what the age of the person was until the end . . . great way of ending it and also the repetition of "today you gained your wings." And yes, I had tears. Wonderful job!

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  7. Ann HostetlerAugust 18, 2013 at 11:24 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Ann HostetlerAugust 18, 2013 at 11:29 AM

    Kelsey, what a powerful experience that must have been, to be present at a death during your first clinicals. The repetition in your poem--"today you gained your wings"--gives a steadying effect as you take readers deeper into the experience of loss and help them stay present with this painful image of love and release. I agree that the poem works well with the painting. If you were in a poetry class, I'd encourage you to add a few particular details, as you begin to do in stanza 4. (For instance, how did you check the heartbeat? How old or young was the girl?)

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