Darkness Falls

A poem about those who suffer Alzheimers and dementia. For my father, Raymond, who at 67 years of age can no longer speak.

 

A man strides through the bright day that is his life

A soul that matches the light from above

No shadows hide his thoughts or dreams

Darkness a distant event that holds no sway

 

So hard to see at the start, as the day wears on

A lost word, a forgotten name, a slight uncertainty of common things

Unnoticed and quickly forgotten in the sunshine,

So easy not to see the small darkness in the still bright light

 

As the shadows lengthen, gaps in thoughts grow

Lapses and stumbles, numbers and times elusive,

The soul still shines bright, but the darkness creeps

Yet, so easy to ignore, as you look away into the still bright orb

 

As light weakens, the man sees the night advance

His thoughts growing dim to match the fading day

Things once simple now a challenge often failed

He recognizes the inexorable progress, he fears the night to come

 

We who tread the path of life with him

See the change that the darkness brings

As daylight fades and the man diminishes

Words and ideas growing more elusive as the day wanes

 

Some of us will desperately seek a new source of light for the man we love

Some of us will prepare themselves to walk with him into the darkness

Holding tight as the light of knowledge and hope fade

A few will stare at the setting sun and pretend that the darkness is not real

 

As dusk sets in, less and less of the once proud man remains

We often peer anxiously, looking for the glint of memory

Moments that grow fleeting as light within dims

Hope fading with the setting sun

 

Some believe the soul remains unchanged

Held captive by a diminishing vessel

A still bright light, whole, yet hidden

Awaiting a final release to a place of eternal day

 

Some believe that the soul goes the way of the mind

Pieces falling away as the darkness steals thoughts and memories

Until little by little, the soul departs, leaving but a small remnant

To await a reunion in a place of eternal light

 

Darkness falls, the internal light dies, a body remains that will continue

Day after day we will be greeted by an unknowing gaze

Yet we will continue to hope for others on this path

Remembering the strong, smiling face in the warm summer sun