Never Letting Go Poem by Jim Yerman

No-one aspires to have Alzheimer's…it's a disease we long to defy….
one ailment we hope as we get older…will simply pass us by.

But one of the mysteries of life that fluster, frustrate and confuse…
Is when it comes to whether or not we get Alzheimer's…we don't get to choose.

A memory popped into my mind today…of a time four years before…
when a couple…one with Alzheimer's walked into our store.

"I love books." She yelled and laughed as he tightly gripped her hand.
"She's a little confused and loud." He said. I said, "I understand."

And for the next few minutes we talked to one another…all the time he held her hand.
When I spoke with her she'd laugh or giggle and she was difficult to understand.

I remember feeling a mix of emotions as we stood and talked a while…
because even in the throws of her confusion…she never lost her smile.

And the whole time we talked…I imagine a little longer than he planned…
her husband stood beside her and all the time he held her hand.

When they left the store…(they came to browse and not to buy)
he was still holding her hand as she turned to wave goodbye.

No one wants Alzheimers to enter their life…to slowly take command
But it's nice to think they'll be someone who loves us their to hold our hand…

Someone who remembers the way we were….our laughter…our spirit…our glow…
Someone who even as we lose our grip…refuses to let us go.