YES I HAVE MIXED DEMENTIA

Yes I have dementia,
It's not something;
That you can see.
It's something that's,
Still alive, Within me.

Yes I can forget,
If you see me
In the street.
Don't walk on,
The other side.

I may have dementia,
My mind is still alive.
So why don't you,
Cross the road.
It's nice to say hi.

If I should seem,
Strange to you.
Please introduce yourself;
By telling me your name,
I'm sorry I didn't recognise:

It's the dementia,
That's to blame.
I look forward
To seeing you.
Even if I don't
Seem the same.

It's like when people
Write to me,That I don't see.
I hang on to every little line.
Remembering when,
I used to have a mind.

Sometimes it's hard,
To answer back.
To find the words to say;
It happens to me,
Every waking day.



Poetry by Alan J Ripley The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 115 times
Written on 2026-08-14 at 00:58

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Alan J Ripley The PoetBay support member heart!
I wish I could see what,
Sameen is talking about.
But that's probably,
The mixed dementia in me.
2026-08-29


Sameen The PoetBay support member heart!
This is honest and brave in a way that matters more than technique. The speaker's voice is clear, proud, and a little wounded, which makes the plea for simple kindness feel genuine. The line about hanging on to every little line from someone is especially moving. The poem does get repetitive in places, and some stanzas say what an earlier one already said, but that also feels true to the condition it describes. It is less about craft and more about witness, and on that level it works.
2026-08-25


Jamsbo Rockda The PoetBay support member heart!
It must be terrible to go through that. I hope that people try to understand and don't shun you. That would be terrible. You are such a nice person and don't worry about not replying to everyone. We know your predicament.
2026-08-14


ken d williams The PoetBay support member heart!
Dear, Alan, I do cross road
You and I may met aready
should we have, I'm shure
we smiled, shook hands as
Freinds, mates, well met.
We sat down on nearby bench.
Chated a good while, laghfet, told
each other jokes, maybe one or two
only bit off couler ;)
See again in town, Alan, mate and my dear old Freind.
Ken D Williams
2026-08-14