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4 Poems About Dementia, by Nereida Corujo

Updated: Mar 7, 2023


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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.




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