Whenever Nurse Dan came into Sally’s room to dispense her meds, he would cheerfully call out her name and greet her with a big smile. We were always happy to see him and Sally would light up. Dan told us he was going to be leaving the facility to work at just his other job. But he added there was one thing he was going to miss around here, and that was Sally’s smile. Sally does have a beautiful smile, and I thought that was a great title for a poem. So as soon as Dan left the room I wrote this haiku and dedicated it to him. The first two lines came easily, but I had to think about what was really going on when Sally smiled at someone who acknowledged her. She watched me writing and saying it to myself. When I read it to her, she quietly said, “Thank you.”
Sally’s Smile
(Haiku for Nurse Dan)
Flooded with Sunshine
From the Glow of Sally’s Smile
You Know Your Own Worth
© Ken Chawkin
September 22, 2011
In the presence of my muse,
Sali M. Peden
Also see: Sweet Haiku for Sali | Haiku For Sali | Hoku For Sali
See these newer poems: Sali’s Nature and Tanka For Sali Upholding Her Wonderful Nature.
Tags: acknowledgement, appreciation, haiku, nurse Dan, Sali, Sally, smiling, transformation, validating someone, validation
The Uncarved Blog 
November 20, 2011 at 4:01 am |
[…] Haiku For Sali, Hoku For Sali, Sally’s Smile (Haiku for Nurse Dan), and Sweet Haiku for Sali […]
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February 14, 2015 at 6:52 am |
[…] to live with us. Eventually we would have to live apart, which lead to the Dementia Blues. But Sally’s Smile would continue to uplift me and all those around her. Many changes continue to transform our lives, […]
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April 5, 2015 at 3:16 pm |
[…] See Sally’s Smile (Haiku for Nurse Dan) […]
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August 8, 2015 at 7:21 am |
[…] Also see Sally’s Smile (Haiku for Nurse Dan) […]
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January 5, 2016 at 11:06 pm |
[…] I whispered in her ear that she radiates goodness and joy. It is her inner nature. It shows in her smile, no matter what changes she’s going through with the illness. Whether they know it or not, […]
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January 6, 2016 at 8:26 am |
This is another so beautiful poem!!!! Ken, I think you have that impeccable celestial vision piercing to the essence. And Sali feels that too. She basks in your true knowing of herself.
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June 30, 2017 at 2:03 am |
[…] never lost her sense of humor. Years later, when she could no longer speak, she would still smile and giggle, bringing joy to some of the nurses and aides who looked after her. Her inner nature […]
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