‘Tired and afraid’ is a poem that could be about any one of a number of patients I have met over the past few years. But its not. It’s about a man I recently met whose words are hard to forget. I doubt I was of much help.
The curtains pushed aside
Show an old man in bed.
Fear lives in two dark eyes
Staring from his tired head.His knuckled grip is strong,
He shakes like a sailor,
But his next breaths are long,
Payment for his labor.Underneath his sun-beaten shell,
Sliding sinews bring bones upright.
What his muscle memory might tell
Given time before the birth of night.The chart shows no sign of fever
And his heart beats just as it should,
The numbers say he’ll live forever,
All of the peaks and troughs look good.My gut knows the answer,
But I ask anyway,
I am here to help you,
Why are you here today?He says, my problem’s this,
Then looks me in the eye,
I’m just too tired to live
And I’m too afraid to die.
About Chris Nickson
Thanks for taking time to leave a comment Mary. Much appreciated.
I think many people I meet in the emergency department feel like this man (and your dad). As a doctor it is hard not feel powerless during the brief snapshot of life that they spend in ED -- cures for tiredness and fear in those nearing the end of life are sadly elusive.