4 Poems About Dementia, by Nereida Corujo
These poems were recently written by Nereida Corujo, a client of our Foundation and the caregiver for her husband, affected by Alzheimer's disease for many years before he transitioned.
If you read the poems closely, you will notice that various elements allude to dementia. As an example, the second poem, Confused, reads 'I ran to the mirror to try and see my reflection, but to my surprise, my figure did not appear', and a common symptom of dementia in the moderate and severe stages is mirrored-self misidentification, characterized by the inability to recognize one's own reflected image.
The poems were originally written in Spanish, Nereida Corujo's mother tongue, and translated by our Foundation so they could reach more of our supporters. Nevertheless, rhythm in poetry always gets lost in translation, and there are some cultural differences that influenced the writer's original choice of words. For this reason, if you wish to read the poems in Spanish, you can find them on this very same page by switching the language at the top of our page.
The Meeting
One day I was standing
face to face with death
when staring at me
he suddenly said
I am here for you.
Laughing uproariously
and smacking his teeth
between laughs, he told me
you are in my quota
and I am here for you.
Today I have to take you
and I have no choice
My nerves accelerated
and with him I started to talk.
I said, hey bony
give me a little more time
let's talk for a moment
to lengthen my life.
He looked at me again
and he told me you know what
for today I will forgive you
since I like you very much.
I think you're very funny
we'll lengthen your time
and another day I will be back.
* In Spanish, death is referred to as an entity, similar to the Grim Reaper in English, which is why we refer to it as "he".
Confused
You will not believe
what is happening to me
I am experiencing
something uncanny in my life.
I don't know if I'm awake anymore
maybe I'm asleep.
I have the feeling
that I'm from another planet
or I believe I'm alive
when I'm actually dead.
I walk, talk, and laugh
I even dance
but none of that works
no one wants to look at me.
Friends, I'm so confused that
I don't know what to do anymore
if I should stand on my hands
or rock myself in the armchair
I ran to the mirror
to try and see my reflection
but to my surprise
my figure did not appear.
I came to the conclusion that
since everything is possible
I became see-through.
Twins
Today I was thinking about my sister
who God took from us
today she would turn 17
just like I am.
She was my twin sister
her a girl and me a boy.
Her eyes were blue
just like mine.
I miss you everyday
my heart is broken
and when I look up to the sky
looking for the reason it happened
I see your face reflected
among cotton clouds.
A Poem About Alzheimer's
Don't ask me to remember
Don't try to make me understand
Let me rest
Let me know you are with me
Hug my neck and take my hand
I am sad, sick, and lost
The only thing I know,
Is that I need you.
Don't lose your patience with me
Don't swear, don't scream, don't cry
I can't do anything about what is happening to me
Even if I try to change
I won't succeed
Remember that I need you
That the best part of me is already gone
Don't abandon me, stay by my side
Love me until the end of my life.