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EMT/Paramedic poems and prayers


Sir Andrew

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I wrote this with "unknown", a firefighter poem in mind.

Brother when you weep for me

Remember it was meant to be

Lay me down and when you leave

Remember I'll be at your sleeve.

In summers heat or winter snow

I'll be on every call you go.

In the back, compressing, 1,2,3,

You'll save a life and think of me

In neighborhoods where bullets fly,

At fire's where young victims cry

Where cars collide and dreams are crushed

I'll be there with you in a rush.

The unit which I now ride on

Is fully staffed with medics gone.

Those who died in MVA's

And those who died in other ways.

As Paramedics we see first hand

The death that plagues our fellow man.

We try to put it out of mind

But it's impossible we all will find.

Our memories we do ignore

As we approach our patients door.

For we know we are the only prayer

For the lovely life who needs us there.

So remember as you wipe your tears

The lives to which I added years

For they're what made my life worth living

I pray you'll always keep on giving.

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I WISH YOU KNEW WHAT IT’S LIKE….

I wish you knew what it’s like to give the ultimate sacrifice.

To risk life and limb for strangers who care not for your life or their own.

To risk contraction of disease and illness that could rob precious time with my family.

I wish you knew what it’s like to be solely responsible for someone’s life,

Even when you’ve not slept in two days,

Or to know that a bad day or a mistake

Could leave a child without a parent.

I wish you knew what it’s like to see the horror on a mother’s face

Who’s just seen her dead child’s mangled body,

Or to look in the face of a father who will never hold his children again,

And to know that the children don’t yet understand

That their father will never take them to the park,

Toss them in the air or see their first school play.

I wish you knew what it’s like to look into the face of an old lady

Whose husband of 50-plus years has just passed away,

Leaving her alone and scared,

Or to have to explain to her that there is nothing that can be done.

I wish you knew what it’s like to be obligated to save the life of the drunk

Who just crossed the median and struck a car head on,

Killing a family of five,

Or to have him tell you that he doesn’t care.

I wish you knew what it’s like to feel the emotion

As you attempt to save the battered infant from the certain death

Her abusive father had destined her for,

Or to know that if you display your human emotion,

Your job will be on the line.

I wish you knew what it’s like to contain these emotions for the sake of the family,

Or to look into the eyes of your child and weep inside

For fear of losing them to a freak accident or a drunk.

I wish you knew what it’s like to wish it would all go away,

But it doesn’t.

I wish you knew….but only for a second.

Because I don’t want you to know what I know.

Stephen Paine, MICP Author

I WANT TO TELL YOU LIES

I want to tell that little boy his Mom will be just fine.

I want to tell that dad we got his daughter out in time.

I want to tell that wife her husband will be home tonight.

I don’t want to tell them like it is….I want to tell them lies.

You didn’t put their seat belts on, you feel like you killed your kids

I want to say you didn’t….but in a way, you did.

You pound your fists into my chest, you’re hurting so inside

I want to say you’ll be okay….I want to tell you lies.

I can see you’re crying as your life goes up in smoke.

If you’d maintained that smoke alarm, your children may have woke.

Don’t grab my arm and ask if your family is alive.

Don’t make me tell you they’re all dead….I want to tell you lies.

I want to say she’ll be okay, you didn’t take her life

I hear you say you love her and you’d never hurt your wife.

You thought you didn’t drink too much, you thought that you could drive

I don’t want to say how wrong you were….I want to tell you lies.

You only left her for a moment, it happens all the time.

How could she have fallen when you thought she couldn’t climb.

I want to say her neck’s not broke, that she will be just fine.

I don’t want to say she’s paralyzed….I want to tell you lies.

I want to tell this teen his buddies didn’t die in vain

Because he thought it would be cool to try and beat the train.

I don’t want to tell him this will haunt him all his life

I want to say he’ll forget….I want to tell him lies.

You left the cabinet open and your daughter found the gun.

Now you want me to undo the damage that’s been done.

You tell me she’s your only child, you say she’s only five.

I don’t want to say she won’t see six….I want to tell you lies.

But I have to tell it like it is, until my shift is through

And then the real lies begin, when I come home to you.

You ask me how my day was, and I say it was fine

I hope you understand, sometimes….I have to tell you lies

Author unknown

Edited by scratrat
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I don't remember where I got that one from Dwayne. But my mother does stained glass, so she made a nice frame for it and I printed it on nice paper. It looks sharp. I'm not a poem person, but that one I really liked.

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You know what I like is that it shows how a provider can be heart broken yet angry at the same time, for the same person in a single situation.

I've found this often. I need to care for you if I'm going to treat you properly, though you brought this one yourself, yet being unwell in some way caused you to do that, and I'm tasked, and priveledge to take care of the unwell in any form...

The emotional puzzle can get confusing enough that it's allowed (forced ?) me to say, 'Fuck it...I'm just going to love and care for everyone and trust karma to sort out the rest..." I know it's not everyone's way, but it seems to work for me, and that seems to be the energy that the poem is written in...(to my way of reading it)

Thanks for posting it! How did we get even this far in this thread without someone posting the "You've done your time in hell" bullshit? Pretty cool....

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Sorry ...

Sorry if we woke you in the middle of the night,

But someone in your neighborhood is fighting for their life.

Sorry if we block the road and make you turn around,

But there's been a bad wreck with dying children on the ground.

When you see us coming I hope you'll understand,

Let us have the right of way someone needs our helping hand.

Sometimes a child is choking; sometimes a broken leg,

Sometimes a heart stops beating and when we get there it's too late.

So if you see us crying when we think we are alone,

You'll know we had a bad one and we're feeling mighty down.

We don't do it for the money you know we don't get paid,

We don't do it for the glory but for life that might be saved.

Somewhere deep within us our souls are crying out,

We're here to help our neighbours in their hour of pain and doubt.

God gave us something special to help us see you through,

We do it because we love you and we care about you too.

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