It is Anzac Day, held annually on April 25. It is a National Day of Remembrance in Australia and New Zealand commemorating all who have served and died in military operations. It marks the anniversary of the 1915 Gallipoli landing, the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) forces during World War I.

Too often we hear male oriented war poems. Here are some words as a tribute to nurses, men and women, who care for those that have become victims of war. And trying to capture the emotional weight, compassion and strength of nursing, reflecting on those intimate moments that occur between a nurse and a patient.

I Walk Out Different Every Time

I walk in whole,
but leave absorbed with fragments 
that attach to me.

A patient’s laughter, a family’s grief.
The weight of unspoken words.

I walk out different every time.
Stronger, softer, more tired,
yet more alive.

Every shift leaves a mark
which I take with me.

Richard Scutter.