She bustles in, weighed down with his clean underwear,
pyjamas, barley water and boiled sweets,
his reading glasses, now repaired,
holding back wisps of her grey hair.
She has to catch the bus at the same time every day
and sit for hours, making repetitive small-talk
with a man who doesn’t know her name,
has forgotten, in his sickness, vows
and promises they made in health.
He struggles to identify her, he’s swearing,
and she can’t fit into the dress that she was wearing
in the framed photo on the bed-side cabinet.
She clings white-knuckled to what they had,
a broken-hearted, lonely wife
longing for the intimacy of their bed
and the comfort of a once-shared life.
Kim M. Russell, 2017
Image found on Pinterest
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Open Link Night
writing in north norfolk 
gut-wrenching
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These stories are so tragic, Kim. Terribly sad. You captured the desolation of loss so well.
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Thank you, Jane.
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So sad, we see it so often these days. A beautiful write Kim xxx
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Such deep, searing loss…wonderfully illustrated by you, Kim.
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Thank you, Gayle.
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This is heart-breaking, but a hyper-realistic portrait of true love. The surface image of love changes so much over the years that it may be difficult to identify it.
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Thank you for reading and commenting.
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This is so sad and heartbreaking Kim ~ I can’t imagine the burden and loneliness of the spouse ~
Hey, we have photos of hands, smiles ~
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Truly sad.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
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Thank you, David. xx
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This is a story so often repeated…. and somehow I wish I never become such a burden…
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Me too.
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Oh lordy, this one hit me in the gut. The long goodbye. So painful to lose those we love long before they are gone. The pain is exquisite. Your words are eloquent.
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Thank you so much, Bev.
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I could cry- so accurate. Testimony to love. XXXX
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Thank you Alison.
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This broke my heart – i loved it.
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Thank you!
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I’m so glad you posted this, because I meant to read it and then somehow skipped it. I love all the detail in the first half which gave me a crystal clear picture of the reality behind the feelings expressed in the second half, like I was watching a movie.
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Thanks for reading and for your comments.
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This is so heart wrenching 😦
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I saw this so often at the home where my mum was when she was alive. It was hard enough as a daughter.
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Oh, this is so sad. Well written.
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Thank you, Jennifer.
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That is both sad and comforting in a way… taking care of each other in the end is all there is.
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Such a poignant portrait of a situation so many loved ones find themselves in. This could any us, on other side of the equation.
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“…She clings white-knuckled to what they had,..”. So many relationships like that. You took me there. Well done.
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Thank you, Sarah.
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Wow! Such a strong feelings in this poem. I loved it.
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Thank you so much!
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No problem at all
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😢😢😢
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This is very moving. You really show her love and her pain. Well done.
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Thank you, Sarah.
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The Loss of Intimacy ——-your title speaks so well to your words. This is an intimate picture of end-of-life-days for far too many. And yet there’s a gentleness here that is still shared in the touching…the holding of hands. That connection.
A beautiful piece.
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Thank you, Lillian.
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this is so dense with longing…Its a solace she has got loving memories…
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So sorry, unexpected visitors last night have made me rather late in responding to your piece. But really felt the poignancy you skilfully conjured here…
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Thank you so much.
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Crumbs. Nightmare scenario.
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I agree. It’s not that long ago I was going through something similar with my mum.
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Great photo…this tests the reaches of our love, doesn’t it? We love with broken hearts.
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At the beginning of a relationship, you have no idea how it’s going to be in the future. It’s a matter of blind faith in live and your partner.
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Too true…yes, marriage is steps of faith!
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I like reading this as if it’s about a married couple in their 30s or 40s. Sometimes it’s not that different. I have lived a marriage like this. Thankfully we found our way to the other side of it, destroying the sickness and recovering, remembering each other again. But it’s hard to take care of someone who acts like they don’t give a flip about who you are, and that can happen at any age.
Excellent poem.
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Thank you very much!
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This is so good and so real “weighed down with his clean underwear”. I love this and more…bkm
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Thank you so much.
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Brava.. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
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Thank you very much, Dorna!
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Ah, sad dementia and faded memories but Beautiful Mindi hands to remind us ow what was.
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. I beloved this and more…bkm
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