REACH OUT AND TAKE MY HAND (A PARENT WITH DEMENTIA)

photo: Caitlin Stockman

 

Sam, reach out and take my hand

Even though you don’t know who you give it to

Like when I used to put mine in yours

To do everything I wanted to do.

 

You taught me, keep my eye on the ball

And then to swing the club right through

They talk about the sins of the fathers

I got so much more than that from you

You did your job as my front runner

I tucked in and you set my pace

It’s hard to watch you step off the track

To leave me to find my own space.

 

I turn off Tim Wheeler at the Roundabout

A round about a mile away

Take a long deep breath in the silence

To find the resilience and something to pray

The knot in my soul when I’m going in

Is only bigger and tighter when I’m leaving

Walking and talking in your glass coffin

Living in the pain of perpetual grieving.

 

Sam, reach out and take my hand

Even though you don’t know who you give it to

Like when I used to put mine in yours

To do everything I wanted to do.

Comments

[Neville]

Deeply poignant, Steve

[Jan Vierhout]

Your words are so moving and well found. You really found the right words to describe how you're experiencing this period with your father. Close and the distance. He's there, but also not...Thanks for sharing your life, heart and the reality of life. Grace and comfort for you, dear brother! Jan Vierhout