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COVID-19 Archive

Images and Stories from Vermont

The nurse and the handmade mask, with hair ties

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NurseHandmadeMask.pdf

Title

The nurse and the handmade mask, with hair ties

Creator

Joanne Giannino

Date

April 5, 2020

Contributor

Joanne Giannino

Spatial Coverage

Text


The nurse and the handmade mask, with hair ties
April 5, 2020

She made this for him:
my son, an EMT
transferring her patient
from the nursing home
to the ER.

As he left
with his new patient
carefully covered
and strapped in
for safety
on his stretcher,

She pushed the mask
handmade with hair ties
into his pocket.

Like an auntie
stuffs a five-dollar bill
in your pocket
before you leave for home
so you can get yourself
a little something,

Or a grandmother
insists you take
the leftovers
when you go.

Love in a fiver
your heart in
a casserole
to reheat later.

She said,
“Take care.”

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Citation

Joanne Giannino, “The nurse and the handmade mask, with hair ties,” COVID-19 Archive, accessed March 28, 2024, https://covid-19.digitalvermont.org/items/show/864.