The wild onion is an everyday plant, but rewardingly flavorsome and beautiful when closely examined - hence the choice of 'Wild Onions' as the title of the literary journal for and by Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine students, in which nurse and poet Judy Schaefer's work was first published in 1984. In the years since, Schaefer has become a key figure both as a nurse-poet in her own right, and in showcasing poetry and creative writing by other nurses, providing insights into the experience of delivering healthcare in a system burdened by cost and regulation. Here she selects a quarter of a century of her own poetry first published in 'Wild Onions', a collection which will be essential reading for nurses, students and researchers in the medical humanities, and all readers with an interest in poetry or healthcare.