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 Not all of us have the gift for writing poetry. We can however, dedicate a few lines in memory of a loved one. To add your dedications or poems to this page, please click on contact me at the left of the screen and paste your dedication in the space provided.
If Tears Culd Build A Stairway
And Memories A Lane, I'd Walk Right up To Heaven And Bring You Home Again.
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TEN REQUESTS OF THE ALZHEIMER'S VICTIM |
PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME
Remember, I am the helpless victim of an organic brain
disease which is out of my control.
TALK TO ME
Even though I can not always answer you. I can hear
your voice and sometimes comprehend your words.
BE KIND TO ME
For each day of my life is a long and desperate struggle.
Your kindness may be the most special and important
event of my day.
CONSIDER MY FEELINGS
For they are still very much alive within me.
TREAT ME WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT
As I would have gladly treated you if you had been in
this bed.
REMEBER MY PAST
For I was once a healthy, vibrant person full of life, love
and laughter with abilities and intelligence.
REMEMBER MY PRESENT
I am a fearful person, loving husband, wife, father, mother
grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle or a dear friend who
misses my family and home very much.
REMEMBER MY FUTURE
Though it may seem bleak to you, I am always filled with hope for
tomorrow.
PRAY FOR ME
For I am a person who lingers in the mists that drift between time and eternity. Your presence may do more for me than any other outreach of compassion you could extend to me.
LOVE ME
And the gifts of love you give will be a blessng from which will fill both our lives with light forever.
Unknown
Who am I??
I am Muriel's' daughter.
I am Tifany, Trevor's', Nicole's' and Chase and Spencer's' Mother.
I am Callies' Grandma.
I am Marks' wife.
I am a worker, a friend, a Citizen of the US..........................I am a 42 year old woman.
But today...........I am only a daughter.
You see......................I was just told today, on this day this February day in 2006 that my beloved Mom has a disease. It affects her brain, her memory...............which is so precious, does anyone know that?? Imagine something taking away the memories of your life, of your loved ones..............just imagine. I cannot.............it is beyond me. I cannot imagine not knowing about my Chase and the way he ran when he played Baseball, or the way that my Spencer was hit by another football player in the chin guard..........and how I felt so indignant that a few of the opposing teams' fans' cheered when my son Spencer was hurt.
Or to not be able to remember my Callie........MY angel, my baby.........how she first smiled at my Mom.........it was her very first smile, Tifany recorded it. My beautiful Granddaughter smiled for the first time at my Mom. She may not remember that moment.
I cannot tell you the amount of tears that I have shed, nor can I describe to those that I love why I am so sad.
Colleen
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Heart Memories |
Oftentimes, it is difficult for family members to visit a loved one in a nursing center. Whether it is feelings of guilt, denial of the aging process, or the hurt they may feel if a loved one doesn't appear to recognize them anymore. The following poem is quite fitting, especially for folks who have loved ones suffering with a dementia or perhaps bedridden and no longer able to communicate:
I remeber you with my heart, my mind can't sya your name.
I can't recall where I knew you, who you were or who I was.
Maybe I grew up with you or maybe we worked together.
Or did we quilt together yesterday?
There's something wrong with my memory but I do know you.
I know I knew you and I do love you.
I know how you make me fee, I remember the feelings we had together.
My heart remembers and cries out in loneliness for you, for the feeling you give me now.
Today I'm happy that you have come. When you leave, my mind will not remember that you were here. But my heart remembers.
Remembers the feeling of friendship and love returned. Remembers that I am less lonely and happier today, because of the feeling, because you have come.
Please, please, don't forget me and please don't stay away because of the way my mind acts. I can still love you. I can still feel you.
I can remember you with my heart. Anad a heart memory is maybe the most important memory of all.
Submitted by: Anna Mae
Memories Of You
I remember everything about you,
your voice, you smile, your touch,
the way you walked, the way you talked,
the way you looked at me, meant so much.
I remember all the words you said to me,
some funny, some kind, some wise,
all of the things you did for me,
I see now with different eyes.
I remember every moment we shared,
seems like only yesterday,
or maybe it was eons ago,
It's really hard to say.
You are gone from me now,
but one they can't take away,
your memory resides inside my heart,
and lights up my darkest days...
....Anonymous |
When It Is Time To Let Go |
God, it's so hard in my heart to let go.
Yet, really deep down, I'll have to, I know.
It's not like our children leaving the nest,
While we fret and worry, Will they pass the test?
Our children are children are growing becoming
adults, They are learning to cope with there
talents and faults. But Lord this is different
I cry bitter tears. For this is a parent for whom
I'm in fear, For this is my Mother who loved me
so much. Now she is in need of my soft gentle
touch. Though she is my mother it's just not the
same, She no longer knows, me calls me by name.
Hear speech is gargled, hard to hear, her memory
has regressed to her childhood years. Where is my
daddy I'd hear or say or: I killed my mother day
by day. Her time will come I know that and yet, I
must be honest and so I confess. I will not be
ready to say my goodbye, to really back off and
let her soul fly. Lord give me the strength and
the wisdom to know, and also the courage, when it
is time to let go.
-unknown
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No title |
Written by Janet Angela Romans
It all seemed to start so slowly, subtle things so easily missed,/A forgotten name, repeated words, or lips no longer kissed;/'Till one day you knew that something was, indeed, cause for alarm,/And you took the steps so needed, to protect and save from harm;
Many moments you have witnessed changes you cannot control,
You couldn't know you'd find yourself, in this thankless role;/But you brace yourself while tackling jobs you never thought you'd do,/As you shake your head in wonder, asking "How Am I getting through?"
For awhile perhaps you hoped it was an ill that could be fixed,/Your emotions like a roller coaster, high and low...
mixed;/Then you learned that it was Alzheimer's and how, you too must change,/As you face dramatic happenings in your vast caregiving range;
With each day you square your shoulders as you lovingly dig in,/To the mountainous job before you, sadly knowing it's, "no win",/But because of love that's stronger than the hardest gem from coal,/You have chosen to find inner strength, on loan within your soul;
There'll come the day when you'll look back with feelings of great pride,/For the choice you've made to caringly stay at your loved one's side,/And God will bless your times of care, with memories He'll impart,/His gift of lifelong peace to live forever in your heart.
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Poetry Page |
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Who Are We |
08/14/04 01:13 PM |
I am an old lady who lives deep within myself
I have no one who cares for me I embarrass them
I have my moments as do we all just more than most
now I’m in a nursing home and I don’t really know why
I come and go all the time I ask who are we
I’m an old man I have caregivers care for me all hired
my children come to see me only when I behave
I guess I really cant blame them but I do miss them
I cant control how I am I wonder why they don’t understand
I come and go all the time I ask who are we
I’m a young woman life is just beginning for me what happened
I don’t understand why me I still have my life ahead of me
this just cant be happening to me its got to be a mistake
I’m too young for this its only for old people not young
I come and go all the time I ask who are we
we come from all walks of life and we are of all ages
we are men and women who had constructive lives to live
how this could happen to us we do not really know
but happen it did now we are all victims of Alzheimer’s
I come and go all the time I ask who are we
Submitted by: Mary Etta
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Lifetime Shared |
08/03/04 08:38 AM |
Her eyes fill with tears as she stares straight ahead
the memories she shared the time not far behind
she feels so alone her heart now in limbo how terribly sad
his love she will no longer feel he is gone from her life
a lifetime shared a lifetime gone
how do you come to terms with the love loss of a mate
I sit here trying to come to term with my loneliness
but the emptiness cannot be filled the loneliness only intensifies
give me courage to see the truth give me strength to go on
a lifetime shared a lifetime gone
she wonders why it had to be why their time is gone
she looks for him expectantly but he’s not there he’s gone
can she go on will she go on her life mate no longer there
but she knows life will not stop even for her request
a lifetime shared a lifetime gone
a parents loss is different from a life mates loss
but the emptiness is the same I miss momma and daddy and brother
our closeness was just beginning and now they are all gone
I will survive this they knew of me this I know of myself
a lifetime shared a lifetime gone
By: Mary Etta
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Fly Home Now My Sweet Momma |
05/10/04 06:34 AM |
she is dying do I have the strength to see it through
can I hold up as I watch the life drain away from her
she is so fragile her body and mind shut down
how does one come to grips with the death process
fly home now my sweet momma I love you
I gaze at her sightless eyes and cry momma
I hold on to her unresponsive hands squeeze my hand momma
but I know she wont she’s dying she cant
I’m beginning to feel that empty spot deep inside me
fly home now my sweet momma I love you
it hurts to know this is my final goodbye goodbye momma
I knew you’d leave me someday but not today
how long will it take for my final goodbye to be final
I just feel my agony going on and on it hurts
fly home now my sweet momma I love you
I cant go to bed for fear of you leaving me as I sleep
this vigil I stay the death watch goes on
I wait to say my final goodbye to send you on your way
just please don’t look back at my breaking heart
fly home now my sweet momma I love you
By: Mary Etta
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Do You Remember |
04/22/04 07:15 PM |
do you remember the stormy night when dad was gone
you became frightened and turned to us kids for companionship
do you remember our trip to Disneyland how excited we were
we were a real family there weren’t we momma all of us
do you remember how to remember momma
do you remember bob getting drunk and you blamed me
do you remember putting bacon out to thaw and rebel ate all
when did we stop being a family momma when did we drift away
or would you rather not remember I wish I could forget
do you remember how to remember momma
momma don’t say you’ve forgotten already let me dream for awhile
momma I’m not ready to be forgotten not just yet anyways
it is so hard momma not to be able to just talk to you
no more coffee clutches between just you and me
do you remember how to remember momma
momma are you in there you haven’t gone yet have you say no
if you cant answer me that’s ok ill just talk for the two of us
you lay here smiling is it for me I wonder do you understand me
time has come to say goodbye I don’t want you to go do you
do you remember how to remember momma
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Why Do I Cry - - - - a poem for Bobute |
04/17/04 02:35 AM |
my sadness reaches a plateau I never knew existed
I walk down the street looking at everything and nothing
I see the beauty most take for granted and I cry
I no longer have the ability to control my emotions
why do I cry maybe if cry at the loss of myself
if see so much more than I use to I want to know more
my mind goes from one to another analyzing as I go
I want to know so much and cram it all in
I cant see enough anymore and I cry at the beauty
why do I cry maybe I cry at the loss of myself
life is short when you hear Alzheimer’s it becomes shorter
you want to learn about Alzheimer’s but your kinda frightened
you watch loved ones turn away from you and it hurts so
your friends stop coming by or calling you ask yourself why
why do I cry maybe I cry at the loss of myself
I wish time could be reversed but I know it isn’t so
I wish a cure would be found again I know it isn’t so
but mostly I wish people understood I know it isn’t so
so I guess its up to me to try and set the record straight
why do I cry maybe I cry at the loss of myself
By: Mary Etta
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The Window Next Door |
03/18/04 04:43 AM |
sometimes I feel like a stranger to momma
she doesn’t always remember who I am much less where she is
if she cant sleep within 5 min she feels another day is here
when things don’t make sense to her you get the blank stare
Alzheimer’s is like looking through the window next door
we see glimpses of who use to live there
every stage seems to bring a new person out
some are aggressive some are only frightened
others show up nice or nasty we never know
Alzheimer’s is like looking through the window next door
it is hard for us to live with so many in one body
and the moods always change we are always on guard
but our minds always knows that’s our loved one
here and now always seems to rule for the day
Alzheimer’s is like looking through the window next door
in our lives we have no schedule we never know how it will be
how they are is how we will be for the day its interesting
most people will say how can you live like that never knowing
very simple we have no choice their moods rule our lives
Alzheimer’s is like looking through the window next door By: Mary Etta
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Passage of Time |
04/05/04 04:25 AM |
our journey has finally started we are ready
we are through with the fear and anger that is past
time for the passage of time knowing her with Alzheimer’s
this is the acceptance of life itself knowing her
do we embrace the passage of time or reject
if we embrace the passage of time we gain new wisdom
if we reject it our life with Alzheimer’s will be hell
there is a quieter time with them a richer time
do we embrace the passage of time of reject
there is no exchange of words only the visual
you remember who they were then always remember
you observe who they have become now
then you learn all you can through the passage of time
do we embrace the passage of time or reject
our knowledge comes from what we see of them
what we see is then transferred to the brain
the brain then digest analyze and decides what we saw
our mind then absorbs and makes our knowledge
do we embrace the passage of time or reject
By: Mary Etta
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How Can We Not |
02/01/04 04:25 PM |
we care for them and love them till the end
our hearts die many times before the final breath
there could never be another way that is our love
so to the end we stand by them our love is true
how can we not respect and love them
how could anyone of us imagine it any other way
their illness takes them to another realm from us
we don’t know what that is like we can only guess
we know here there will be an empty spot for us
how can we not respect and love them
for us to try to understand is difficult to do
we don’t try we only wish them well and love them
we try to respect their wishes follow their request
to do any differently would be against their will
how can we not respect and love them
they entrusted us with their life while they lived
we loved them for many years now we need to release
it is hard to do that when you love them so much
but respecting their wishes is a greater gift to give
how can we not respect and love them
By: Mary Etta
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Alzheimers Plays for Keeps |
01/25/04 12:05 AM |
we begin our passage of pain in the early stages
you see very little except for the forgetfulness
as time passes it all seems such a slow progress
one morning you wake as usual and reality hits
you suddenly know Alzheimer’s plays for keeps
we suddenly find them following everywhere we go
you step from the room and they begin calling you
there is now no private time available to you
we've discovered the world of shadowing in its glory
you suddenly know Alzheimer’s plays for keeps
then you may find another world opens itself for you
this appears when the sun retreats for the night
they become disoriented and confused you cant reason
welcome to the world of sun downing you can do without
you suddenly know Alzheimer’s plays for keeps
it continues to get worse their world and your world
no longer meets the person you knew no longer exist
you live a world apart you share you home with a
stranger and you begin to feel the terror or Alzheimer’s
you suddenly know Alzheimer’s plays for keeps
the worse is yet to come when they are no longer able to
function their body begins to shut down one by one till
the inevitable happens they are released and you are also
released from your agony but then you feel loneliness.
you suddenly know Alzheimer’s plays for keeps
By: Mary Etta
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