I was sitting on the porch one day
My little granddaughter came in from play.
As she stepped nearby
I saw a plant quite dry
And I said, this little plant is thirsty.
Don't you want to get it a drink?
Take your watering can and get water at the sink.

She didn't find the can, so she took a glass
Then she fell with a loud crash
And in her hand was a long gash.
She didn't cry as she sat on the doctor's knee.
As he closed the cut she said to me
"He's being duss as careful as he can be."
The courage and gratitude in her voice that day,
The memory of it will long stay.
The doctor much later with a gentle smile
Said things like that is what make being a doctor worthwhile.

Now she is a woman grown
She has a lovely daughter of her own.
Though she has had many problems to meet,
She is courageous and very sweet.
In all these many years
I've seen very few tears.
When things go wrong
and her chin is held firm and strong
She is the same as when she said to me,
"He is being duss as careful as he can be."

A. Hunt