"The Long and Winding Road"


Waiting for the Morning


I sit awake with you
in the scary midnight darkness,
telling you everything is okay,
calming you down after a dream,
holding your hand as you wander,
searching through the house
for remains of your former life.
I sit as you sleep in your chair,
when you won't go back to bed,
knowing you will wake in terror,
afraid of a dream, afraid of not knowing,
afraid of everything.
And sometimes you won't hear,
my words will be as meaningless
as the ones you sometimes say.
And perhaps you will reach out,
sometimes searching, sometimes striking;
I'm here for you, whatever you need;
I'll even be your punching bag.
But I can't fix things for you;
I can't bring your memories back.
They are gone, just like the house
and people you search for.
All I can do is sit and wait
with you for the approaching dawn
when things will look a little better
illuminated by the light of day.

--January 1995


Copyright © 1995-2024 Brenda S. Parris

Mother in her chair


Next Poem | Previous Poem | Poetry Index | Home


My Mother's Story | My Journal | My Poetry | Special Times/Special People
Photograph Album 1931-1957 | Reflections | Back to Home Page


Caregiver Resources | Alzheimer's Research Links
Other Personal Homepages | Alzheimer's Association Chapters
Alzheimer's Organizations Worldwide
Alzheimer's Poetry | Bibliography and Filmography | Book Reviews
Resources on Other Dementias & Disease
Seniors Sites & Aging Resources
Grief Resources and Memorial Sites

Credits | Awards | Reviews | Memberships | Tell Your Story: HTML Help
Music | Just a Bit About Me
Links about Other Diseases | Home Page

Background for this page from Pegasus' Original Backgrounds; Music is from Don Carroll's Midi-Riff-Bulge