“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” — Mister Rogers

One Moment

by Carl Josehart

All those years of school
And work; it seems insane
That suddenly I would be feeling the fool
After one moment of pain

Helpless, hopeless, and confused
They need my attention
Never mind that my ego has been bruised
Or that my mind has been stretched past its limits of retention

A calculus professor of mine once said,
“When in doubt; differentiate.”
Funny that just went through my head
I heed the advice and begin to differentiate

Who needs me now?
Who can wait?
I find myself talking, and doing – and knowing how
Maybe there is still time to help; maybe I’m not too late

We ran in when it started
With our bag of tricks and our hospital id’s
Hours later, when we finally departed
We left behind the bag of tricks, and took along the memories

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