Dad

Married
Fifty years
But
Mom no longer
Knows him

Dedicated
Dad
But
He no longer
Cares

Doctors
Say his
Illness
Is severe
Depression

And for
Our family
Many
Things have
Changed.

He used
To be
The one
Who gave us
Guidance

Now he
Rarely
Makes
Decisions for
Himself

We cannot
Trust
The product
Of his
"Reason"

Dad'­s lost;
He
Cannot
Find his own
Way home.

All drugs
The doctors
Tried
Were worse than
Useless

Each
Physical
Exam
Proved
"Nothing wrong"

This
Once-strong
Man shows
Clear signs of
Dementia

He sits
Alone and
Looks
Down at his
Shoes.

Mom
Supervises
Every
Waking
Moment

She has
No time
For
Anything her
Own

She did
Not plan
To
Babysit her
Husband

We pray
She can
Survive
The non-stop
Strain.

He
Worries
Constantly
About
"The money"

He's sure
His savings
Won'­t sustain
Him to the
End

But
We will
See him through
This time of
Trouble

Our family
Is
Dad'­s
Strongest
Safety net.