When my father came down with Alzheimer's disease, we saw him slip away. At first it was for short bits of time; but then the lapses grew longer. Although his body lingered on for years, he no longer seemed to be with us. Where was he?

                                         

Present Yet Unaccounted For

The more unfocused minutes pass,

And sand slips through the hourglass,

The days, they seem to disappear,

What happens to them still unclear.

Though cause unknown, brainwaves resign

To be confused by common signs.

They seem to journey somewhere far

And flee the now in ways bizarre.

Perhaps they seek the distant past,

Nomads who roam through days recast,

For there the route was somewhat clear,

With far less conflict, far less fear.

Can minds demented, damned by fate

Have conquered time, have found the gate,

Unbolted it and used the means

To fade away like time machines?

© 2008 Poem by Rose Marie Boyd

Image Source:  http://michiganelderlawcenter.com/resources/was-a-loved-one-diagnosed-with/alzheimers-disease/