Fifth of July

I remember your birthdays as always sunny,
with an occasional shower, maybe,
but I only ever picture you with golden shimmers.
Your smiles started as honeyed glimmers
reflected in your sky-blue eyes, rapt
with homemade gifts, so badly wrapped.
Once, we took you to a restaurant; inside
was candlelit while summer blazed outside.
Tipsy with red wine, tangled in spaghetti, sauce
on chins, we giggled when the waiter made a fuss.
In a different restaurant and another life,
trying to spread butter, you fumbled with a knife;
no smiles or giggles, your eyes clouded over,
spirited away by dementia, mother.

Kim M. Russell, 5th July 2020

Me with Mum037

My Mum would have been 83 today.

13 thoughts on “Fifth of July”

  3. Your poem is so heartfelt Kim. I remember you telling me you lost your mother to dementia. Such a sad and wicked way to leave this world. It is a painful process and heartbreaking for families. Your words captured the bitter-sweet memories 😢

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  4. Oh, so sad, the comparison between the two occasions, and the long losing of one’s mother through dementia. This poem has such impact; it goes right to the heart.

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