The fragile span of Memory’s bridge
The fragile span of Memory’s bridge,
Through life’s most unexpected phase,
In a bitter spell of mental chill
Soon disappears in swirls of haze,
The crossing between now and then
Being lost in Time’s cerebral maze
There loom the hunting fields of years,
No matter what the numbers be,
Across which stalks in numbers grave,
Alzheimer, subtle, wild and free,
Cold and totally unsparing -
A terrible blight on Memory.
Alzheimer’s clammy claws of pain
Reaches deeper through life’s core,
When evening shadows creep into
Nights much darker than before;
Until the silent emptiness
Must sadly end its ebb and flow.