Poem by Becky Hemsley on Dementia

When I am older

I might not remember

I might get confused

And I might lose my temper

And there may be times

When I don’t know your name

Because it’s been trapped,

Locked away in my brain

And though it will hurt

To think I could forget you

Offer me smiles,

Hold my hand if I’ll let you

And talk of adventures

We had long ago

Show me the photos

Of people I know

Play music we’ve danced to

And songs we have sung

Read me the books I read

When I was young

‘Cause your voice and your words

Might just be the key

That opens the door -

That unlocks it for me

And maybe the music

Will spark tiny embers

Of memories dormant

And I will remember

Your name and your face

And the words to our song

The times and the places

To which I’ve belonged

And it might last moments

Or minutes or more

As the fire sheds light

Through the crack in the door

But when the door closes

And gone are the flames

When you are once more

A stranger again

Just know you’ll have stirred something

Deep down inside

Something familiar

That I recognise

Something that’s real

That’s not stored in my head

But right at the core

Of my heart space instead

Something that’s stirred

By your smiles and your stories

The touch of your hand

And the songs you sing for me

And though I’ll have no words to tell you

Just trust

That deep down inside

I’ll remember

I’m loved

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