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Those lackluster eyes
Live in a void
Trembling lips twitch
But that childlike smile
Is lost like the rivulet
Consumed by the hungry grains
Of the desert
The tongue bleeds
As broken pieces of speech
Pierce through
Curse of senility
Has blown up the knife-edge bridge
Between the two
Solid rocks of the past
And the present
The deep gorge of oblivion
Flows towards
The infinite ocean of despair
Posted for Poetry
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A powerful poem - especially Has blown up the knife-edge bridge
ReplyDeleteBetween the two
Solid rocks of the past
And the present
The deep gorge of oblivion
Flows towards
The infinite ocean of despair
truly stunning!
How important it is to see ourselves as a part of the composite whole of creation as we see the past crumbling and the new life emerging. Beautifully written Sumana.
ReplyDeleteCuriously the sufferers seem quite happy.
ReplyDeleteThe infinite ocean of despair...that hits the bulls eye... it's tough to lose someone like that when just all connections break cause they don't remember the people they once loved... heartbreaking..
ReplyDeletean agonizing malady - for both the patient and the relatives
ReplyDeletewonderful poem
ReplyDeleteSumana, you have given voice to Azheimers. This is a painful poem to read, as it expresses it so well. With the eyes. With the smile. And the broken speech. Those last three lines...yes...the flow to the ocean of despair. What a painful journey for both the one & the ones who love him/her.
ReplyDeleteI specially admire The deep gorge of oblivion ~ Powerful voice here Sumana ~ The ocean of despair is a tragic reality for everyone ~
ReplyDeleteAaiii! Each time you write about this comes closer to perfection. This bridge, from rock to rock is splendid, tragic.
ReplyDeleteI feel like you really met the person...ah, it's sad and how blessed people who trying to help them.
ReplyDeleteshe was a colleague of mine...and passed away a few years ago..
Deletedeep hurting... very strongly described.
ReplyDeleteWow, those closing lines are so powerful! Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThis touch me deeply as I see my mother fading.. Wonder if it's to her despair or ours...
ReplyDeleteMy mother in law has Alzheimer's and this really hit home. Especially the last three lines. Painful, yet beautifully penned.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting portrait... well "painted"
ReplyDeleteZQ
Tight and sharp. Enjoyed this very much, Sumana.
ReplyDeleteSumana I don't think I have ever read anything more truthful to describe this horrid disease. My father died from this disease and battled it for 15 years when he contracted it at an early age.
ReplyDelete'Has blown up the knife-edge bridge
Between the two
Solid rocks of the past
And the present'
you aptly describe the physiological and emotional break down in the Alzheimers patient. So sad to watch as they walk in a cloud of unknowing that gets deeper and muddier.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a well crafted, poignant metaphor, Sumana. Brilliant writing!
ReplyDeleteshew, your words always pack a punch. you have a true gift of pulling the reader into the atmosphere of your descriptions.
ReplyDeletestacy lynn mar
http://warningthestars.blogspot.com/2014/10/saturday-prompt-2-starry-skies-and.html
Good writing Sumana. My mother died of Alzheimers and my mother-in-law has severe dementia. I understand this poem thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteheartbreaking...alzheimers scares me...i dont ever want to lose my mind....
ReplyDeleteSo moving.
ReplyDeletealzheimers is scary. a great toll on the patient, and the caregivers too. your poem so powerfully describes it.
ReplyDeleteThe imagery is excellent. Alzheimer's is a disease I don't know much about but only seen and read it as a part of someone's life. This made me recall all those and also, provide a glimpse into what the disease does to you. Beautifully penned!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very topical subject, and your description shows how devastating the disease can be.
ReplyDeleteThe last three lines sum it upwell for those of us who have had a relative lost this way.
ReplyDeleteas a son of a mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and passed, hopefully to her relief. not knowing the internal frustration and garbled drowning, the most horrendous feelings i had in watching her deteriorate is the losing of the love connection that is the binding fiber of life.
ReplyDeleteyou wrote this well, mi amigo. you captured so poignantly so many aspects of this insidious condition
my grandfather died of Alzheimer's. i can understand the pain of such patients somewhat. nice and stirring poem.
ReplyDeleteWell done metaphor dealing with an emotionally disturbing subject.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
bravo! i like your piece because it carries a lot of literary structures that make it apt to be discussed by academia. a winner too!!!
ReplyDeleteOh Sumana this is such a lovely write. The imagery so captures the loss we experience when a loved one is suffering from Alzheimer's. A difficult subject and a painful one for all involved.
ReplyDeleteYou've given voice to the realities many living with alzheimer's experience, and done so with poetic artistry.
ReplyDeletePowerful and heartbreaking… I was speaking with a friend of mine going through this with her mother just the other day… so painful.
ReplyDeleteSo very sad... so very true... which makes the sadness even more painful.
ReplyDeleteOh dear. Great central metaphor. So sad. K.
ReplyDelete