Mum's the World
My mother lives
In a nursing home
Sometimes she says
She wants to go
Back to her home
"Back to Cambridge"
That is one of the many
Reasons why she can't
For her house and home
Of her last 58 years
Where she raised kids
Is not in Cambridge
She often has a look
Of wonder and asks
"Have you heard anything...
From my parents?"
Of all the illnesses
Dementia scares me the most
In hindsight we realized
There were signs long ago
They were camouflaged in
A masquerade of denial
It developed so slowly
It wasn't recognized
Until there was no doubt
Our mother was gone
A moment of clarity
Is a setback from hell
My mother returns
But only for a minute
That minute's too long
Her eyes show her terror
A confused look, knowing
Something is horribly wrong
I used to forget and
Become a daughter
Once again, grasping
For the old connection
But now I know
To hold on and ride it out
I prepare for a crash
Landing into Orphanhood
My mother is gone
I'm glad for her sake
My visits are short now
She lives in the moment
She is well cared for
By kind and gentle caregivers
The nurses of the nursing home
Are the saints and heroes
Of my world.
My mother lives
In a nursing home
Sometimes she says
She wants to go
Back to her home
"Back to Cambridge"
That is one of the many
Reasons why she can't
For her house and home
Of her last 58 years
Where she raised kids
Is not in Cambridge
She often has a look
Of wonder and asks
"Have you heard anything...
From my parents?"
Of all the illnesses
Dementia scares me the most
In hindsight we realized
There were signs long ago
They were camouflaged in
A masquerade of denial
It developed so slowly
It wasn't recognized
Until there was no doubt
Our mother was gone
A moment of clarity
Is a setback from hell
My mother returns
But only for a minute
That minute's too long
Her eyes show her terror
A confused look, knowing
Something is horribly wrong
I used to forget and
Become a daughter
Once again, grasping
For the old connection
But now I know
To hold on and ride it out
I prepare for a crash
Landing into Orphanhood
My mother is gone
I'm glad for her sake
My visits are short now
She lives in the moment
She is well cared for
By kind and gentle caregivers
The nurses of the nursing home
Are the saints and heroes
Of my world.
March 13, 2014
