Kathleen Walsh Spencer's poem ("Three Detectives Photograph My Patient, 1979,"Art of Nursing, May) narrates with clarity and drama a complex, surprising situation in the working life of a nurse. I read so much poetry (and good poetry, too) from poets who are nurses about dying, birthing, bathing, and loving. As we try to craft poems, it can be hard to escape such familiar topics. Spencer is a subtle poet; the speaker in her poem observes self, patient, and others and then acts swiftly in defense of her patient. This poem merits many readings and much discussion.

Judy Schaefer, MA, RNC

Harrisburg, PA