This week I saw some poems posted to the Link2Care list which were written by an LBD caregiver spouse who lives in San Luis Obispo. Many of these poems will likely resonate with the spouses in our group but even we adult children can find parts that resonate with us.
The poet is Carol Pappas. When I requested permission to share the poems, she replied: “Yes, most certainly share the poems as my hope is they will be an encouragement to other caregivers on this same journey. May it help with our sanity and longevity.”
Below, I’ve copied a few of her poems from July 17th and June 19th.
Robin
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Poems by Carol Pappas
July 17, 2013 (first 3) and June 19, 2013 (last one)
SPELLING TEST
It was 2002 when I learned
how to spell mastectomy.
A few years later
it was caregiver and
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Next came pacemaker,
dementia, and Lewy Body.
Finally in 2013 I learned
how to spell chauffeur
and also walk a slow gait.
CONVERSATION
Conversation with a dementia man
Needs psychic to know the subject,
Requires agreement of all,
No discussion allowed.
Conversation with a dementia man
Resembles a cat on a hot tin roof.
NEW LIFE
He calls me Hitler
and sometimes
monster
but never lovely
or beautiful.
My spirit longs
for meaningful
conversation
and love.
In another
season and time
with hope
will come
new life
and joy.
ALONE
i live with a dementia man
i am not by myself
yet so alone.
he is there with me
yet somewhere else.
we walk side by side
yet each alone.
each marching to the music
of a different tune.
our beat goes on
mine fast, his slow.
we are a world apart
in the drama of each day
each so alone.