My Dad developed dementia & went into care where he lost his dignity & eventually his life |
I watched on helplessly His decline was steep That brilliant mind And arms so strong The choice to go Not his to make So who is responsible? And where were they? Would you be brave enough... For a life to take? We pray for mercy To die in our sleep But that isn't real For those who cannot speak Their voices lost And the right to choose Their terms taken away With only one thing left to lose What price your dignity? To not be remembered like this His memory reverting A childhood reclaimed As I spoke to him Just a boy to his dad But he knew not me As his suspicion grew Asking... “How do you know about my family?“ “I'm your son," I said Dementia takes away more Than just the memories If I asked him before Before any of this What would you choose? Would he have chosen this? Because I know I won't I want my children to see Better to go with pride And with dignity So they won't go through What I had to A man who was brilliant Condemned...yet committed no crime Against a society Whose compassion is misaligned We give our pets more Than we do our own kin And for that, we should be ashamed As I was ashamed for him He hated that place Escaping three times But only twice they brought him back Before he was freed from his binds I didn't know how to feel Was it wrong to feel relief? I wouldn't let an animal suffer But I had to watch him I pray you never see |