I know dementia is a serious malady that strikes randomly and leaves a trail of heartaches and tears. I would rather mock it than praise it or even be quiet about it. If it should come my way I will not go gentle into that good night.
[image: asha.org]
Mental Acuity
When you mention dementia
My brain posts its absentia
And sails off to Never Never Land
Someone unplugged my cord
Where my memories are stored
I'm an hourglass that's losing its sand.
Words escape me real fast
Like iconoclast
There's a hole in my prefrontal cortex
Thoughts pour down the drain
From that gap in my brain
In a swirling whirling vortex.
On the positive side
I can toss pride aside
And make love without worries or shame
I won't kiss you and tell
From my strange little cell
I can't even remember your name.
So let the good times begin
Every day is a win
I'm ready to start life anew
Shower me with kisses
All you cute little misses
And I'll give them right back to you.
At the end of the day
When my thoughts start to stray
And my eyes close to dreams so serene
May the warmth of the day
Dry my old tears away
And may I just fade away from the scene.
This is an excellent example of how it feels to lose short term memory. I have a lovely girl that I counsel that had a father that constantly abused her by hitting her on the back of her head and now that she is older has lost most of her short term memory. It is so very sad that one human being can hurt someone made from love like he did. She is a total angel and when she realizes that she has forgotten something told to her a minute ago, she crys. They had meds that can help slow down the process but not to correct it and make it go away. All to often abuse will come back to haunt someone as they age. A wonderful description in your work of how one would feel.
You are painting a rather serene situation that may come in time, but I think that the onset of dementia is not carefree, but very frustrating. On the other hand, it is a nice thought to be able to be carefree and forget any misdeeds each day.
My father suffered dementia for years prior to his death. He finally reached the place where we were all strangers to him. Now, my.brother is living the fear he had of becoming like our father. And so, I lie in wait for my turn, and I think I hear fate knocking at the door. I love this poem, but it frightens me to death.
I hear ya, Ed...I've had parents of friends that have had to go that route & it was not pretty...sometimes I think that maybe I might have a small amount of it already, but after all my health problems over the past few years, it seems a small price to pay to stay relatively healthy now...I also used to find that things I wrote about in jest, seemed to come around in real life, eventually...So what was I saying & who the hell are u again...Find Peace, my friend...-?- who am I again...?
Dementia is one of the most scary things as I get older. My mom developed dementia after my dad passed away. My wife And I tried to be caregivers for awhile, but it was taking a tollon us. She reached the point where I had to place her in a nursing home. with a special unit for demntia. It remains the most painful and hardest thing I've ever done. It's been said dementia is like someone going from room to room and turning the lights out one by one. A very accurate description. If I knew dementia was in my future, I'd just as soon end it now. A very powerful write.
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