To my children
At home
The lights are out
You sleep soundly
Your little hearts peaceful
Your bright beautiful brains calm
No doubt weaving dreams of adventure like quilts in the night
Soaring on air through wide spaces and light
Your breath like warm breeze quiet and sweet
Your hands open, your fingers reach, touch things I can’t see
Your hair tumbling on pillows softly caress
Your voices at times rustle like a flowing dress
Yet you sleep on, safe, warm, cuddled snug in your beds
Where I left you, when I left, closed the door to our home
Stepped into the night and out of your space
Now I walk through bright hallways, not free as you are
Awake, in the nightmares that my patients live out
I am here, taking care of strangers
I sit on their beds as I sat on yours
I hold their hands, as I held yours
I listen to their stories, as I heard yours
I am here
In the light, in the chaos
Wishing I were with you
In the dark, in the peace
Warm and snuggled in your beds
With healthy hearts beating close to mine
And happy souls holding mine.