Alzheimer's

This is a poem that I wrote back in 1997 or 1998 and wrote it for my grandfather who had alzheimer's.

I walk along
a beach lit by dawn's cheerful grin
seagulls fly endlessly around me
as waves caress my legs like a lover
I reach down and grab a handful of sand
and hold it close to my beating heart
the way that I cherish
my most precious and tender memories

I walk along
a beach that grows mile after mile
the seagulls seem to be laughing at me
in their teasing and taunting ways
as they dance and weave about my head
the waves slowly crawl up my body
as my feet sift through vaguely familiar memories
that seem to tickle my mind
as I walk under the slowly setting sun

I walk along
in circles
on a beach whose end I have finally reached
under the man in the moon's sad smile
the seagulls have silenced their laughing
the beach is now deserted
sand slips through my fingers
as the waves consume me at last
and I forget