Dedicated to the victims of Alzheimer's disease and their families.

Remember
By John Herlihy

I
Remember, it was me.
We touched as one tree.
We grew in years together,
Grew up from the ground.
We were cold and all alone,
There was no one else around.
At first we became three.
We produced Nature’s child with such glee.
We became four and five,
Turning the family into a beehive.
Then we became six and seven.
In anyone’s book, that was just about heaven.
Before we became eight and nine,
That was on the edge of sublime.
We finally became ten, then eleven,
And, my friend, that was pure heaven.

II
The children grew up and went their way.
One day, you also began to quietly slip away.
They called it Alzheimer’s disease; I call it dismay.
Will I ever remember, you said one day.
I will never forget you, she had wanted to say.
Your mind began to play insidious tricks.
Life became a terrible game of pick-up sticks.
Slowly, you traveled away much too far,
Caught on the sky trail of a distant star,
On your way to becoming distant by far.
Twinkle, twinkle, my loving star,
How I wonder wherever you are.
Until the day arrive to catch hold of my fears.
You could no longer remember our life in years.
You had no idea if it was May or November,
When in fact we still held hands in mid-September.

III
Now the years are moving by.
You, my beloved, have slipped away.
I pray you don’t go further astray.
Please stay, I beg you, just stay anyway.
Don’t forget all that has happened.
Don’t forget it was you with me.
Don’t forget when you looked at me.
We lived as one, a fir tree.
No one can ever take your place.
No one in all the human race.
When you are gone, I will remember thee.
When you are gone, I will remember for thee.

IV
Remember the whispering fir tree.
Remember the honesty that made us free.
Remember the love potions we drank together.
Remember the closeness that rose above all weather.
Remember our life, you and me.
Remember our life as one tree.
Remember, my love, it was me,
As I remember thee.