Nothing is permanent except him

a poem for a caregiver

Nothing is permanent except him


Each day a new T-shirt
her window of past joy
Andrea Bocelli
Simon and Garfunkel
a daily manic waltz

A daily manic waltz
as he provides her care
gold wedding rings still gleam
her memories have died
a requiem to love


10 lines--pirouette form. 10 lines--six syllables per line--line 5 repeats at line 6

Author's Note: I work in an adult dementia day stay. I have a severely memory impaired client, and yes she comes wearing a different T-shirt daily from her vast collection.