Memory Loss

It started off simple.

You forgot little things such as taking your purse out with you

Or putting sugar in your coffee,

Things that all of us forget from time to time.

But then you started to forget important dates;

Like a doctor’s appointment

And your best friend’s wedding that she had been planning for the past 8 months.

 

Nowadays you can’t even feed yourself,

Your arms hang limply by your side like an un-used marionette.

Last week, I found you wandering the streets of Manchester-

Looking for your husband who had died 5 years ago.

Your own home is now foreign to you

And a few days ago, someone called you by your name

And you said “who is that?”

Your memory isn’t what it was before you were diagnosed with dementia

But even though you had forgotten everything else,

I really hoped that you wouldn’t forget me.

Reviews

[Anand Sehgal]

very intense write with minute personal detail. impressive :)
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[zaneybear]

heartbreaking but in an amazing way, such a horrible thing written so beautifully.

[Simon Welsh]

Heartbreaking. Ugh, dementia is a horrible, horrible thing. Nicely written.

[Dusk Lavanna]

i love this, its amazing, you put real thought into this, its well written.

[Lyn Anderson]

I love love love this poem. Find a contest that deals with aging, alzheimer's etc. and enter it. This hits it right on the mark. In a former life I worked with alzheimer's and dementia patients. I could not have come up with anything better to describe the pain and confusion of the sufferer and the person who loves the sufferer. No critique here, just a round of applause.

[Laura Harrison]

Really? I thought it could have been better to be honest but thank you so much :)

[Lyn Anderson]

nope. Right on the money.

[Laura Harrison]

Thank you :)

[FlatLineBeauty]

This was sad and yet I see things like this every day. I've been working in nursing homes and the alike for 6 years. It is so sad to see. Beautifully written. xo Winter

[Laura Harrison]

My mum works in a care home too, she's been there for the past 10 years. I've met so many people with dementia/alzheimer's, it's so upsetting

[FlatLineBeauty]

I agree. You sit there and wonder about them and what they were like. The only thing you really have to go on is pictures and what their family tells you, that is granted if their family still visits them.