The Crabby Old Woman

by Daily Dew Inspiration | Jan 9, 2026 | Archives, Inspiration

Crabby Old Woman When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Dundee, Scotland, it was believed that she had nothing left of any value…. Crabby Old Woman When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Dundee, Scotland, it was believed that she had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through her meagre possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Ireland. The old lady’s sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on her simple, but eloquent, poem. And this little old Scottish lady, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this “anonymous” poem winging across the Internet: CRABBY OLD WOMAN What do you see, nurses? What do you see? What are you thinking When you’re looking at me? A crabby old woman, Not very wise, Uncertain of habit, With faraway eyes? Who dribbles her food And makes no reply When you say in a loud voice, “I do wish you’d

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