I went into the room
The room where he sat
Hoping to find him peaceful
Peaceful and having a good day
All I wanted was a spark
A spark of recognition
To show me he remembered
Remembered who I was
But today was like a nightmare
A nightmare of forgotten past
He said he didn’t know
Know anything about me
He said he wanted to go home
Home to see his parents
But they had already died
Died many years before
So I sit here as a stranger
A stranger to my father
And hope this awful disease
Disease that steals his memories
Will let him retain some pride
Pride in who he was once
I see in the mirror our reflections
Reflections of our life before dementia
And it makes me want to cry
Cry for all we both have lost
Written for Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (FOWC) – spark
Leigha Robbins 
So very sad. I’m so sorry.
There were two times my Dad saw me as other people… it was so soul crushing. Thank you Marleen.
Such a sad story.
Inspired by real life… it is very hard to see a parent lose pieces of themselves.
Powerful and painful.
Thanks! Dementia is so hard to watch in someone who used to be so intelligent.
Sorry to read about your dad. Heartbreaking.
It truly is, thank you.