I'm Afraid Of Dementia Poem by Willem van der Meer

I Am Afraid

Afraid of the day when my thoughts drift like clouds in the wind,
when memories, once clear as a summer's morning,
fade into mist upon the horizon.

I am afraid of the emptiness that will veil my mind,
of the moment I gaze at my dear wife
and no longer know her name,
when my wonderful children stand before me, laughing,
yet their faces turn to strangers.

I am afraid that friends,
once shining like stars in my midnight sky,
will dim and vanish into shadows of a darkened dream.

I am afraid that the road home will stretch into a maze,
that familiar streets will twist into foreign paths,
that I will wander, searching for a past that slips away.

I am afraid that my days will unravel into nothingness,
that I will forget what I said, what I did,
that time will no longer hold me, but dissolve like sand between my fingers.

And yet, in all this fear, I hope—
I hope for hands that will hold mine,
for voices whispering, We are here. We will stay.
I hope that love will outshine the fog in my mind,
that even if I forget the world,
I will still know what it is to be loved.

Forgive me for the distance that has grown between us.
Do not be angry, but take my hand once more.
Say goodbye, and let me feel your love.
Perhaps, in that touch, I will remember—
and for a moment, I will be someone again.

Let me for once me be me again.

—Willem