top of page

The Long Goodbye

Dedicated to my mother who has severe dementia

 

Outwardly you look the same:

Hair set and carefully curled,

Matching clothes - usually a touch of pink

Your sometime welcome smile appears, but not so regularly.

 

You learned so masterly

The correct reply to give;

Your inability to recall covered with a crafted mask;

For us, the hard-to-recognise missed clues.

 

'I'll have what you are having.'

Made restaurant meals a possibility;

A desire for sickly pink-iced buns

And childish foods became a passion.

 

Your old friend Music remains constantly in touch.

You beat out the pulse with child-like determination;

You still remember the melodies of pop-song and oratorio alike.

This faithful companion breathes hope into your coming and going world.

 

But now the earnest gaze betrays your state.

The eyes look, desperate to remember who I am;

Sometimes I find a glimmer of response but

Today you are in another place, a foreign land to me.

 

One-sided conversations make communication hard.

The nod, the hum of agreement, the encouraging

Body language, that used to spur me on,

Have limped away into shadow lands.

 

Again from a half-shared sentence you slip into a reverie.

I gently hold your shoulders as I lean, a kiss to give;

You stir, smile and mumble when I say: 'See you soon...'

I wave, you look on; another drifting moment of our long goodbye.

 

Jane Craw

WHITE_TRANSPARENT_VERTICAL.png
  • Facebook - White Circle
  • Twitter - White Circle
  • Instagram - White Circle
  • YouTube - White Circle
Anna Chaplaincy is part of BRF Ministries
As a charity, we rely on fundraising and gifts in wills to deliver Anna Chaplaincy, Living Faith, Messy Church and Parenting for Faith.
Your gift helps us impact thousands of lives each year. Please support our work.  
Discover what BRF Ministries does, why it matters and how you can help.

Sign up to our blog and newsletter updates

Sign up to receive news about Anna Chaplaincy. You'll also receive the occasional email about BRF and their work. You may unsubscribe at any time.

BRF Ministries, 15 The Chambers, Vineyard, Abingdon OX14 3FE
© Bible Reading Fellowship 2025. The Anna Chaplaincy® name and logo are registered trade marks of Bible Reading Fellowship, a charity (233280) and company limited by guarantee (301324), registered in England and Wales.
bottom of page