Shoes, ugly black clumpy laceups
Looking like the shoes boxes
Leather, shiney with a slight squeak when I walked
I had to buy them
Hospital issue, I paid they supplied
How I hated those shoes
Their only saving grace
The first step in my new career
It was all about the right image
Skirt measured six inches from the floor
Height of hat
Belt colour demonstrating status
Flat black shiney shoes Thick black stockings
The starched apron, worn when working
Removed for meals
Collarless Grey cotton dress, white piped sleeves
Three dresses to last the week
7 stiff white starched collars 6 collar studs
12 pearl buttons with metal fasteners
7 starched white aprons
3 white starched cotton shapes
To be folded into hats
One pair of sturdy black shoes
The nurse kit
The first day I wore it I was so excited
On the threshold of being Nurse
Ok Student my black clad foot
was on the ladder
I added the upside down watch
A pen in my pocket, hair neat and tidy
I stepoed from girl to nurse as I walked
into the classroom to meet my peers
The navy blue clad tutor with the wide
frilly starched hat
Read us the rules
Then she inspected us, looking
at our attempts to look the part
Most of us were in trouble hats too
big, hair untidy, shoes tied incorrectly
little misdemeanors demonstrating our
unsuitability to make the grade.
My misdemeanor those shoes
Laced incorrectly
I hated those shoes
Rules and responsibilities
Disipline a corner stone of our training
When I qualifyed as a staff nurse
and the rules relaxed they were
discarded. New black shoes for the
modern nurse.
Converging Lives. Sounds, Silence and Imagery 