The Day Room at Night: Haiku

By Susan Farese

Always on night shift
Out of bed to the day room…
Anxiety plus.

So I challenged them!
Put away that cigarette
And just chat with me.

Stories would abound
Sometimes, even tears would flow.
Cathartic rivers.

You wouldn’t believe
the magnitude, their missions
Poignant and heartfelt.

That was the 80’s
Before the world changed that day
September Eleventh.

Imagine, right now
Post-traumatic stress endured
And shared with no one.

So don’t be afraid
To reach out to a veteran
Pretend it’s night shift.

Susan Farese, MSN, RN, is president of SJF Communications, San Diego, which provides marketing/public relations, writing, social media, speaking and Legal Nurse Consulting services. Susan served in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army Nurse Corps, attaining the rank of Major. She is the author of the book Poetic Expressions in Nursing…Sharing the Caring (1993) as well as many articles. She is Director of Marketing and PR at San Diego Musical Theatre and is a member of SAG-AFTRA.