From The Heart Of A Nursing Home Resident Poem by Emory Ediger

I sit here and stare
But no one seems to care,
If only they knew:
My visitors are so few.

I sit here and think;
Occasionally my eyes may blink;
But no one stops to say
'How are you today? '

I sit here and wait.
I guess that's my daily fate;
For, without a doubt,
I cannot go out.

I sit here and wait.
There's still food on my plate
But I don't want that.
What I crave is just a pat.

I sit here and wait,
But for what time or date?
It's never too late
To say 'My, you look great! '

I sit here so still,
(My age is ‘over the hill') .
But I DO have a mind, you know,
Even though it may not show.

I sit here and slowly die.
Almost everyone just walk by,
But I AM yet alive
And I DO have SOME drive.

So the next time you pass by
Listen to my feeble cry.
Stop for just a minute;
Notice my chair and who's in it.

I know you're in a hurry;
Your world is in a scurry
But my world is so still
Oh, please, stop if you will.

It would be such a thrill
And I would get a little chill
If you would just look into my eyes.
Oh, I yearn for that prize.

For what do I wait?
I wait for the Pearly Gate
To swing open wide
And I will stride inside.

I know I will enter there
Because to God I've given my care
I've asked Him forgiveness of my sin
And He has come within.

The happy, smiling faces
I've met in many places
Are watching now for me
Just beyond the Jasper Sea.

As I sit here, I really don't stare.
I'm simply looking over there
Where my friends are standing my
To welcome me Home when I die.

What I'm thinking of
Is all those I love
Who have gone on before
Through Heaven's door.

What I'm waiting for
Is nothing more
Than for my Lord to come for me
And take me Home eternally

Yes, today I sit here so still,
But very soon I will
Be free from all pain
And revel in eternal gain.