Heroes

He returned from Iraq a morsel of what he was

Paraplegic and helpless

He returned to Margaret

His wife of 13 years.

She bought a hospital bed

And bathed him daily

She gave him massages to help circulation

She cooked his special diet

She combed his hair and brushed his teeth

She brought the bed pan and urinal

She read stories to him from his favorite books

Lifted his head with pillows to watch television

And watched the shows he liked

Even Sunday football that she detested

 

She cut his fingernails and shaved him daily

She washed and ironed his sheets

Ever cautious of germs and infections

She cut his food in small portions

And fed him, each bite lifted to his lips

She religiously administered his medications

Each dose exactly on the prescribed hour

She turned him regularly in the bed

To avoid the danger of bed sores

She made daily efforts to make him laugh

And see some shadow of hope

And when he suddenly died in his sleep

He was given a military funeral with the great error

Of calling him the hero instead of her

Reviews

[Imagine Blade]

I'm a nurse and I can't help but sympathize how this woman feels.
It's hard to take care of a paralytic.

Hell.

It's hard to take care of any patient. More so if they have a debilitating condition like cancer, paralysis, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and even heart problems.

No, I am not saying that it's hard physically. It's hard to take in the emotions you feel because of the fact that you're just human yet you're forced to face life and death in the different walks of life.

I salute this read. I will share this to my nurse friends.

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

[DrD]

Please do share it. Heroes are made of greater things than arms and chants of war.

[astronaut]

This is real and raw. Definitely true as well.

[DrD]

I haven't seen you here befoe , Taylor, but I'm glad you're here and thank you for your kind words.

[astronaut]

*taydr :P

[DrD]

So it is, forgive me.

[Mary]

two heroes in this poignant poem. The husband sacrificed for his country, the wife for her husband; both living out the "for better or worse" part of the sacred vows. In war, there are many heroes, but no victors. My heart is deeply moved with this poem.

[DrD]

Thanks again, Mary. I'm glad to see you visiting here.

[Heather]

this poem speaks to me, moves me and makes me think, I love when poetry does that. I can't say anything that was not already said.. except thank you so much for writing this amazing piece of art

[DrD]

Sorry I didn't answer earlier, Heather but my button wasn't working. Thank you so much for your kind comments.

[Alisa Js]

Aloha,

This one speaks for all those unsung heroes, male and female in our world today. Far too many are impacted by the horrors of war, wives, husbands, children, families... especially so when those families have no choice but to provide 24 hour care for that loved one who has returned.

It really makes one wonder sometime.

Sincerely,

alisa

[DrD]

Thank you, Alisa

[bob, small b. aka invs]

beautiful story. it triggers one of my pet gripes in today's world. that being, the watering down of language by misuse and overuse. words like genius and hero have become virtually meaningless because they are used so often. according to my understanding, a hero is someone who does things above and beyond what is expected them or others in their position. hence, firemen, police, military are NOT heroes unless they perform an extraordinary act (ex. going into the line of fire to rescue fallen comrades and carrying them to safety; falling on a grenade to save others). otherwise, they are simply doing what is expected of them. they are doing what they signed up to do. getting injured is a reasonable expectation of those jobs. you're not a hero because you're injured doing your job any more than a machine operator is a hero for getting his hand caught in a machine or for having a casting dropped on his foot. to call every person in a service job a hero is an insult to those who really do perform heroically. in your story, the wife truly does perform heroically. it is not a reasonable expectation that she should have to become a nurse/therapist 24 hrs a day when she said her vows. it is something well above and beyond what other wives are expected to do. she did not sign up for it. she is not paid to do it. and she does it anyway. THAT is what being a hero is all about.

[DrD]

I deeply appreciate your view, invs because some here thought this work to be controversial in that it elevated her above him in heroics. There is the element of personal opinion, as well. Her effort had the cause of love and young men are sent to kill and die in today's world for motives far inferior to national defense or any foreign threat. The "nation's call" serves agendas that destroy instead of liberate, defame America instead of glorifying it. That, of course, is a personal opinion but was why I named her as the heroine.

[bob, small b. aka invs]

i share you opinion. one of the great fallacies of our day is that our military 'fights for our freedom'. in reality they fight for special interests, be it oil or political favors. our freedoms are more in jeopardy from internal erosion than external threats. people think it takes bravery to step in line and follow orders? let them try standing against the tide instead of flowing with it. then see which requires more strength and bravery.

[Persephone]

Quite a moving poem - We some times forget the great women behind our great men - thank you for sharing :)

[DrD]

And thank you for your visit

[Annabelle Lee]

Wow. I'm not much of a crier but you got me. A friend requested this to me and I am sure glad he did. My dad was in the military and I can still remember those months withot him and how badly it hurt not knowing.when or if he would ever make it back. Thank you for noticing the unsung heroes but I can assure.you that we.don't think orselves heroic as we're kissing them goodbye. We don't deserve the medal of honor. They answered their country's.call... They're the ones putting their lives on the.line and it's our job to stand in the background. a position which most.of us accept graciously.

So again, thank you for singing of.the unsung heroes........ but.the ones that do get noticed are.still not.noticed or respected damn near enough

[DrD]

I respect your viewpoint and I am glad you appreciated this work

[amarlaksh]

You know sir you reminded me of our typical indian mothers and wives. Its a kind of this familarity also that made me like your write even furthermore. Great write sir. Keep writing

[DrD]

Thanks, Amar.

[Jo March]

This is absolutely amazing. So poignant, so true. One of your best Dr!
Thanks for posting this, it is truly amazing.

[DrD]

And thanks for your visit, Jo. I'm always happy to see you here.

[The Refined Poet]

wow is all I can say...

[DrD]

I haven't see you here before, Refined Poet, but I hope you'll return soon.