“Memories hidden in the back of my mind”

 

“Memories hidden in the back of my mind”
(A poem about dementia & Alzheimer’s disease)

I’m sitting looking out the window thinking of days gone by
The times I looked up at the rainbow as it spanned across the sky
The family were young, full of life they played and worked until dawn
Enjoying the sun all day long until it was faded and was gone
I would bake, sew and knit, re-using old clothes that were worn
I’ve loved my kids every day from the first day they were born

There was a flurry of activity around my home when the kids came home from school
Drinking milk, cookies, and lots of snacks they would eat till they were full
They’re all grown up now playing with friends finding their way through life
One day the boys will meet a girl and take her as his wife
The girls they’re playing with their dolls along with their girly toys
Dressing up and brushing their hair with the hope to meet some boys

Life goes on and they’re married now they have a life of their own
It’s funny how they don’t look back to see that I’m all alone
The cookies, muffins, the baking I did and the meals that we all shared
I’m getting older time’s slipping away I thought they would have cared
All these things are thoughts I have of the memories that I could find
They were lurking in the back of my head before I lost my mind

I’m in a home now that’s for seniors you know, when you can’t remember when
My memory is fading really fast as I write this with my pen
My kids, they thought it best for me to send me to this place
So they could live their life in peace not having to see my face
You see, no one knows these thoughts I have they think that I have gone insane
They don’t see my inner hurts they just don’t see my pain

As I’m staring at the walls, for now, people going to and fro’
No one comes to see me anymore it’s nearly time for me to go
Oh! Yes, the muffins, the baking the meals we all shared those memories I make them last
The times we cuddled and loved each other are just things of the past
The children finally get the call to let them know I’ve gone
 To my final home up in the sky, at last, I’m not alone.

Written by Chris Turner
October 16th, 2012