Dear Editor
She stood in all her glory and grandeur for over a century
Majestically bold and proud, with a purpose.
Brick by brick, walls and windows that house many
Who were afflicted with mysterious conditions.
Doctors, nurses, specializing in their fields
Learning to give quality of life to hundreds
Who would pass through her doors.
Staff to launder, cook and clean,
Therapists, gardeners, carpenters, teachers
Helping those who occupied this building of healing.
Oh, if the walls could talk, the stories it would tell
And the songs it would sing.
Tales of love, learning, heartache, hellos and goodbyes
Congratulations, comfort and support and, of course, ghostly apparitions.
Families and people from all walks of life
Coming and going, working towards the same goal;
A quality life, a place of psychiatric healing
And housing for those who needed solace and care.
Now, she stands, exhausted, a historic memory, her grandeur fading
She’s stripped brick by brick, wall by all, a pile of rubble, thrown away;
Her purpose served, only memories will be recalled
By those whose lives she touched, worker or resident.
A tribute of thanks and goodbye to you, Saskatchewan Hospital
For your service and beauty, in the eye of the beholder.
Cheryl Nelson
