And, The Nurses Smile Poem by Lynn W. Petty

They come to work in pastel uniforms
And, greet their patients with their brightest smile.
They meet, and know, each patient by his name
And, bring to this most cheerless place a warmth
Of friendliness, despite the bone-cold fear
That floods the room.

Reclining chairs surround the space where patients sit
as Chemo drips through needle-fangs from snake like tubes
That wind around the tree stand by their sides.
And, yet, despite the anger, pain and fright displayed
Upon the faces of the patients, young
And old, the nurses smile while consciously
Aware that Death stands shadow-dim behind
Each chair, as cancer does its devil-dance,
While Hope and Faith stand ever by.