THE CRABBY OLD MAN...(not written by me)

“CRABBY OLD MAN”

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in North Platte , Nebraska , it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.

Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. It’s quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

*One nurse took her copy to Missouri. The old man’s sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.. *

And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is
now the author of this ‘anonymous’ poem winging across the Internet .

“Crabby Old Man”

What do you see nurses? . . What do you see? *"
*What are you thinking . .. . . . when you’re looking at me?""
A crabby old man, . . . not very wise,""
Uncertain of habit . . . . . . . . . with faraway eyes?""

Who dribbles his food . . . … . . . and makes no reply.""
When you say in a loud voice .. .. . . . . ‘I do wish you’d try!’ *""
*Who seems not to notice . . . the things that you do..""
And forever is losing . . . . . . . . . A sock or shoe?""

Who, resisting or not . . . .. . . . . . . . . lets you do as you will,""
With bathing and feeding The long day to fill? *""
*Is that what you’re thinking? Is that what you see?""
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . . . . you’re not looking at me.""

I’ll tell you who I am As I sit here so still,""
As I do at your bidding, . . . . . . as I eat at your will. *""
*I’m a small child of Ten . .. . . . . . with a father and mother,""
Brothers and sisters . . .. . . . .. . who love one another.""

A young boy of Sixteen .. with wings on his feet""
Dreaming that soon now . . . . . . . . a lover he’ll meet. *""
*A groom soon at Twenty . my heart gives a leap.""
Remembering, the vows . .. .. … . . . . that I promised to keep ..""

At Twenty-Five, now . . . . . .. .. . . . . I have young of my own.""
Who need me to guide .. . . . And a secure happy home. *""
*A man of Thirty . . . . . . . . . . My young now grown fast,""
Bound to each other . . . . . . .. . With ties that should last.""

At Forty, my young sons . . . have grown and are gone,""
But my woman’s beside me . . .. . . . to see I don’t mourn. *""
*At Fifty, once more, babies play ’ round my knee,""
Again, we know children . . . . . . My loved one and me.""

Dark days are upon me .. . My wife is now dead.""
I look at the future … . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . I shudder with
dread. *""
*For my young are all rearing . . . .. . . young of their own.""
And I think of the years . . . … . . .. And the love that I’ve known.""

I’m now an old man . . . . . . . . and nature is cruel.""
Tis jest to make old age . . . .. .look like a fool *""
*The body, it crumbles . . . . . . . . . . . . grace and vigor , depart.""
There is now a stone . .. . . .. . . . . . where I once had a heart.""

But inside this old carcass . A young guy still dwells,""
And now and again . . . . . . .. . . my battered heart swells ;""
I remember the joys . . . . . . . . . . . . I remember the pain.""
And I’m loving and living .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . life over again..""

I think of the years . all too few . . . . . . gone too fast.""
And accept the stark fact .. . .. . . . . . that nothing can last. *""
*So open your eyes, people . . . . . . . . open and see..""
Not a crabby old man . Look closer . . . . see . . . . . ME!!""

*Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might
brush aside without looking at the young soul within . . . . . we will
all, one day, be there, too! *""

I used to work in a few nursing homes in my younger years..I worked in the housekeeping department and would sit and talk to a lot of the residents..so interesting when they would tell me of their lives..some were teachers..some were inventors, some were scientists and no matter what they all had a story to tell.

IT TOOK A FIVE YEAR OLD

to make me relize how much tragedy lies within our fairytales and childhood stories..While watching Babarr the other night with my grandchildren my 5 year old grandson Dallas said, “Why in almost every story one of the parents die?” Hmm..it got me to thinking ,,I don’t know why..then we proceeded to make a list just off of the tops of our heads..we , included, Dallas, myself, my daughter (dal’s mom) and his sister Dellaney (4)..heres what we came up with .

1. Babaar- mother gets shot by hunter right in front of Babaar

2. Bambi- mother gets shot

3. Chicken Little – being raised by father, mother died

4. Pocohanotas- mother died

5. Lion KIng Mufassa(simbas dad) is pushed off a mountain by his own brother

6 Little Mermaid-mother died

7..Nemo- mother gets eaten by shark

8. Lilo (of Lilo and Stitch) mother and father were killed in a car accident.. being raised by her sister

9..Cindrella- mother died, being raised by stepmother

10.Otis-(cow from the movie BARNYARD)father is killed by wolves or foxes almost in front of Otis

11. Quest for Camelot..Kayla. father is killed and hes brought back to village in a box on a wagon…

And these are just off of the tops of our heads..

I know a lot of the nursery rhymes we all know..like ROCK A BYE BABY and THREE BLIND MICE and JACK AND JILL all have some sort of tragedy or violence..and cartoons had lots back in the day too..the ROAD RUNNER..TOM AND JERRY etc..

well needless to say I told him that death was a part of life and sometimes things happen…but truthfully I didn’t want to get too deep with him at that point cause I didnt want to instill paranoia in him about losing a parent or something..but it did open up dialogue…

Can anyone else think of other stories or movies that portray these things