Diane Woodruff had her whole world turned upside down when her mother developed Alzheimers. She cared for her mother for five years before she died. Diane joined a poetry/writing group with Frances Kakugawa and learned that writing about some of her strong feelings and experiences helped her cope with the devastating effects of Alzheimers.
Her eyes were once so bright and blue
… Soft blue and soothing to me
Now I watch as the light in her eyes slowly dims
Dimmer this week than last week
Still dimmer yet today
My sadness increases with each dimming
More sadness
Day by day
I want her old sparkle back
I want to turn a magic dimmer dial toward life and light
But there is no magic dimmer dial … I have no power to change it
But yet, if I get very close to her I can create a glimmer of light for a minute
… by having her read to me, by singing with her
It gets my hopes up
Maybe I can change the eye sparkle by being there, by holding her hand
I’ve always succeeded in everything I’ve done
Why can’t I help my mom get better
“It’s Alzheimer’s; it’s a progressive disease … There is no cure” they say
Just accept it
No-o-o-o-o
I don’t want to accept that I will never see her eyes sparkle again
… That they will just get dimmer and dimmer until the light goes out
This is so hard to watch and witness
I feel so helpless
I feel so sad
