Emergency medical professionals carry burdens far beyond their medical equipment. “The Weight We Carry” delves into the unseen challenges these professionals face daily – from missed family moments to the emotional toll of life-and-death decisions. Through vivid imagery and reflection, this poem opens a window into their world, acknowledging both their struggles and unwavering dedication.
In the darkness we answer calls,
While others sleep behind safe walls.
Racing lights pierce through the night,
As sirens wail their urgent plight.
Beneath our hands,
ribs crack and break,
As desperate rhythms try to wake
A heart gone still – we count each breath,
In this raw dance between life and death.
Blood-stained gloves and sweat-soaked hair,
The weight of lives we’re meant to spare.
“Please don’t let me die,” they plead,
While others beg for death’s release.
We’ve held the hands of fading youth,
Watched mothers crumble at brutal truth.
Caught punches meant for helping hands,
While trying still to understand.
The body bags we’ve had to close,
Each face within, a story froze.
At shift’s end, we tell them “fine,”
To spare our loved ones peace of mind.
First steps missed and games unseen,
Holiday tables where we should have been.
The cost we pay in moments lost,
While counting up the human cost.
Our shoulders bear the weight of grief,
Of countless souls who found relief
Or slipped away despite our fight –
These ghosts we carry through the night.
Each call we answer, still we go,
Through rain and snow, through yes and no.
For this is more than just a job –
It’s where life’s pulse begins to throb.
And though the strain may bend our frame,
We rise each day to serve again.
For someone’s worst day yet to come,
Will need the best that we become.
This poem stands as a testament to the profound dedication of EMTs and paramedics who continue to serve despite the heavy toll their work demands. It reminds us that behind every siren, there are real people carrying not just their medical bags, but also the weight of countless lives touched, saved, and lost. Their strength lies not in being unaffected by these experiences, but in choosing to return, shift after shift, to help others in their moments of greatest need.