original poem

[joannaingram84]

Here is a poem I wrote about ten years ago while I was volunteering at an Alzheimer's center. I hope you like it.

When I See My Residents

Every hour I see my residents, I see them lose
   Lose themselves, lose their memory of me.
Every hour I see my residents, I see them change
   Change their personalities, change toward me.
Every minute I see my residents, I see them dive
   Dive into darkness, into loss of mind.
Every second I see my residents, I wonder
   Wonder how much longer, how much longer they must suffer.
Every second I see my residents, I see them pass
   Pass into anger, pass into death.
When I see my residents, I remember
   Remember that they know not what they do, remember that I love them.
When I see my residents pass into death part of me
   Part of me dies with them, part of me is joyful.
When I see my residents, I see people who are
   People who are my friends, people who are my family.
As a volunteer I strive for unconditional love and caring
   Unconditional love and caring for my friends, unconditional love and caring for my family.