Mother's Window
By
Gordon Harrison
I wrote this poem for my mother-in-law Sally, who suffers from dementia at an assisted living facility.
Through the window mother sees
Us playing out among the trees.
She sees my father over there
Reclining in his easy chair.
"My parents left a while ago.
They just came by to say hello,"
No matter that they've long since died
"I saw them," she won't be denied.
Each day she tells of hours spent
Engaged in some obscure event
At someplace travelled in her mind.
Although her body is confined
Within the walls of Elder Care
She travels almost anywhere.
The window mother sees us through
Is not a portal we can view.
And even though the sights observed,
Retrieved from memories preserved,
Bewilder us, they comfort her
As reality becomes a blur.
It makes us sad to see her plight
When we say bye to her each night
And leave her in her room alone
To sleep and dream of things unknown.
Take care of her, to God we pray
And keep her safe from day to day
While through the window mother sees
Us playing out among the trees.
© Gordon Harrison 2006
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