Note: I shared this on Facebook the night I wrote it; am sharing it here fir those who aren’t on Facebook or may have missed it there. My mom has been dealing with memory loss and encroaching dementia (likely Alzheimer’s) for several years now. Looking back, my dad would say she began deteriorating over a decade ago. She turns 87 this summer. Because I hadn’t seen her in ten months due to Covid, the changes in her behavior, memory, and affect were pretty stark.

Me and Mom

For so many years
we spent so many hours
late into the night
talking from here
to kin-dom come
about dreams and hopes
and heartbreak.
Yours the ears that
heard me into speech;
yours the heart that
held me (and Dad) close
when the chasm between
us—me and Dad—
seemed immeasurable.
Today when I arrived
there was no hug,
no tender kiss
to welcome me
as usual.
Nothing is usual anymore.
You asked
where I had come from,
not remembering
I live in Minnesota;
and if I was staying for supper,
not realizing
I’m here for 3 days;
and if I was married,
no longer knowing
the grandchildren
I’ve given you
or the woman
whose life and love
I’ve shared
for 20 years now.
Home is bittersweet joy,
but
I am still the luckiest boy
I know to be able
to call you, Mom.

2021.06.16