Dementia

Doris doesn’t remember,
Doris always forgets,
The faces of her children,
Her life and her regrets.

Doris begins her pacing,
Tears filling up her eyes,
She’s lost and she’s afraid,
“I will be late” Doris cries.

Doris is looking for her children,
She’s looking all around,
Her husbands late from work,
Who will help her now?

“Who are all these people?
What are they doing my room?
Who’s clothes are in my closet?”
Doris doesn’t wear blue.

She looks into the mirror,
The edges, her fingers trace,
Doris is filled with sadness,
She doesn’t recognise that face.

These aches and pain are new,
The tablets, there are plenty,
Doris tries to remember
But her memories are empty.

Doris needs to leave now,
She’s looking for the door,
“Why do they stop me leaving?”
Doris curls up on the floor.

The nurse help Doris stand,
Her legs don’t feel so strong,
Doris is scared and alone,
What did she do wrong?

Doris remembers that one time,
She was walking in the park,
It feels like only yesterday,
Now Doris’ life feels dark.

What did that nurse say her name was?
Was it Becky, Jess or Kate?
Doris can’t remember again,
She’s gotten in a state.

A state of despair, of sadness,
Her clothing feels wet,
How did her life turn out like this?
“Has God finished with me yet?”

A fleeting moment she recalls,
The things the doctor said,
Doris remembers the word dementia,
The disease inside her head.