Dementia

As I was looking at you, 

And you were looking back at me, 

A sweet smile on your lips, 

You were talking animatedly, 

With a sparkle in your eyes. 

Memories of the olden days, 

Splashed like stars in your mind, 

 That flowed like a river from your lips, 

A strong current was running deep in the recesses in your mind.  

You lived back there, 

Alive and vibrant, 

With the old souls, 

Who had already passed the golden gate.

You said sometimes you saw them, 

They hovered around you, 

And talked of the passed, 

As if it was the present. 

The present was washed away, 

And it did not wish to dwell with you, 

Like a floating leaf, 

That drifted away, 

Gone for good. 

Sometimes, 

You could recognize me, 

Other times, 

I was a stranger to you. 

Your silver hair, 

The lines on your face, 

The spots on your skin, 

And the curve of your back, 

Were all testament of your journey.

What was the reason for this, 

There must  had been a reason for this, 

Why did it happen to you, 

Why did it happen to us. 

Your adventure,

Was coming near its end, 

The finish line, 

Was just a distance away. 

Time was running away from you, 

You were locked in your own timeline, 

A pause in your moment, 

A stream of fate that was going backwards. 

Even for a few times, 

A precious gift,

I humbly asked, 

Spare me a second, 

Come on out from your hiding place,

Look at me kindly, 

And see me.

Writer's note: Composed on Feb. 22, 2017,  I remembered my grandma today and this came to me.