by Jem
I’ve always been a mummy’s boy,
I say that without shame,
But the Mum I loved just slipped away,
Dementia was to blame.
Looking back the signs were there,
As fond memories slipped away,
But I didn’t see her leave the room,
I couldn’t make her stay.
With hindsight, I’m sure she noticed,
Her powers on the wane,
But by the time I realised,
It was too late to explain.
A charismatic clever woman,
Gradually took her leave,
But the nature of her slow decline,
Made it difficult to grieve.
The person sat in front of me,
Looked physically the same,
But Mum was in another place,
And I had no-one to blame.
I sang to her – an Elvis song,
The week she passed away,
And that last spark of connection,
Still makes me smile today.
The rhetorical question Presley posed,
Was “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”
And the only answer I can give,
Is “Yes I am Mum, sleep tight”.