A Love That's Lost: A Poem In Memory By Pete Marshall
Alzheimers has had a profound affect on my families life. A while back we lost someone very close to us when Alzheimers finally beat him. I wrote a poem about this which some of you may have read before? At this time of year the memory of this person is always on our minds and i wanted to share this again. Alzheimers isn't just about memory loss, and doesn't just affect the person fighting it. My poem, A Love That's Lost, is really a reflection on what happens to those left behind.
A Love That's Lost
A petal falls so silently
to land and rot amongst the weeds
A roses head tilts & sighs
its stalk been snapped by wicked lies
each day you toil to keep alive
your dreams of love that never die
but weeds grow up and strangle stems
as blood drips from the petals end.
Your lawn was lush and velvet green
now dry & barren like your dreams
and age has caused your bones to tire
your hands are cracked with skin so dry
you mask your pain in solitude
bereft of friends that vanquished you
and as you prune each budding shoot
you snap the growth of disrepute.
Oh how you once was young & free
you bloomed & blossomed flirtingly
each eye you caught would turn a head
but times have passed & lovers left.
A robin sits and watches you
his gentle verse that warms you through
but robins fight & guard their place
whilst you just laughed amidst disgrace.
Indoors he sits a lonely man
across the table his bread & jam
and through the glass he watches you
inside he cries at nothing new.
A once proud man who gave his life
who gave you all as man would wife
and yet here now he sits alone
the man you loved no longer known.
The smile that wooed a million girls
that made you heart a merry whirl
but now the bones are cleansed of meat
his once large frame admits defeat
he grasps for thoughts no longer there
and through the glass he sits & stares
his children come his children go
the names of which he’ll never know.
You made a vow to stand by thee
so still you tend & still you weed
but deep inside you’re very scared
to lose your rock that always cared
yet still you hide in solitude
the pain that hurts inside of you.
A petal falls so silently
to land and rot amongst the weeds.
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If you would like to know more about Alzheimers or even donate please visit Alzheimers Society
image courtesy creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/iirraa/
