The Kent State University College of Nursing recently celebrated its 50th anniversary by commissioning a poem comprised of 600 nurse voices, displayed for public view in Henderson Hall. The poem is the first of its kind to be comprised of community voices focused on a specific topic: A day in the life of a nurse. Titled Some Days, the poem reads:
SOME DAYS you’ll wake up
and know
your life has purpose
This is who you are –
who you want to be –
a nurse
Kent State College of Nursing Dean Barbara Broome, PhD, RN, FAAN, tells Kent.edu, “This poem honors the work of nurses across all disciplines, highlighting our compassionate care, leadership, and research. It is all of us talking at once about what it means to be a nurse. At the same time, it shows the enormous impact patients have on who nurses are and how patients shape who the nurse will become.”
More than 600 Kent State University College of Nursing students, faculty, and alumni participated in writing workshops where poems about healing and the work of nurses were used to inspire participants to write personal reflections on their own thoughts and feelings about the nursing profession. The collected reflections, in written and drawn form, were then woven into one piece.
The poem is intended to be read from beginning to end, or enjoyed individually and in any order according to Kent.edu. The entire installation spans 6.25 feet tall and 40 feet long, allowing viewers to fully immerse themselves in the design and language of the poem. It is intended to look like the day of a nurse, with colors and shapes all over the place like the emotions a nurse experiences.
Unveiled to the public on Saturday, October 14, during the College of Nursing’s 50 Year’s Strong Reception, the poem received an overwhelmingly positive response from faculty and students. To learn more about Kent State’s College of Nursing and new poetry installation, visit here.
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