Dementia Poem by Micronjan (Micron)

You start by misplacing small things
keys in the freezer, my name on your tongue,
the day of the week dissolving mid-sentence.
We laugh too loudly, call it nothing,
as if nothing could swallow us whole.

The light behind your eyes begins to fade.
Rooms lose their purpose.
Our history slips its labels.
You study my face like an old photograph
you're certain you should recognize.

Some days you flicker, almost here.
A sudden laugh, a look that knows me
and hope rushes in, reckless and cruel,
only to retreat again,
leaving me stranded beside you.

This is the longest goodbye:
to miss you while you're still breathing,
to hold your hand as you drift beyond reach.
Love stays, stubborn as a lighthouse
even as the shore disappears.