For the month of January we are looking for submissions that touch on the theme of Alzheimer Awareness month. We were lucky to have received two submissions from Mary Campbell, who went on to being willing to read her poems so we could share them with others.

Today we share the second of Mary Campbell’s poems: The Thread.

The  Thread

Between the drip, drip, drip

of guilt and loss

and the weight of utter exhaustion

there is a thread

fine and slender as silk.

Do not,

though it will be tempting,

yank it like a ripcord

hoping to be parachuted

back to the way things were.

This is the new normal.

But if you pull gently, carefully

you will discover subtle changes.

At first, it may be drinking a cup of tea

for five minutes of peace

then, perhaps enjoying a movie

with a friend,

90 uninterrupted minutes

away from worry or stress.

And on it goes

until one day

you realize you can laugh

with tears in your eyes

 

and love with an aching heart.

If you keep going,

tenderly, softly,

finally joy and sorrow

will be able to walk together

within you

and grief will no longer be

a dirty word.

© Mary Campbell 2016