Dementia

I don't know what is happening,
My memory is gone.
And no one seems to understand
Why I am so withdrawn.
Can anybody understand
To help me through my day?
And will somebody empathize
With how it feels this way?

I wander without knowing where
I really want to go.
I shout when I am frightened too,
I'm just frustrated so.
Would you try to find what I need?
It may be food or rest.
Or maybe I need exercise.
What do you think is best?

My agitation does reveal
My trouble, you can see.
My anger isn't what it seems.
I'm frightened terribly.
My anger shows what I can't say.
Discomfort can be strong.
Or maybe I am just lonely.
Help me feel I belong.

When you are helping me get dressed
And I push you away,
I'm so confused about the task,
My mind just seems to stray.
Tell me again about the task
And what I need to do.
And say it more than just one time,
Until the task is through.

I cannot tell you what I want.
It is not comforting.
Can you give comfort that I need,
And help my heart to sing?
I know I'm not the same each day,
My thoughts all seem to stray.
Relate to me how I am now,
Forgetting yesterday.

I know that you don't realize
Just what I think or feel.
Or what I am reacting to
Even when it's not real.
I cannot help the way I am,
Confused, frightened, and lost.
I do not know what's going on,
It's such an awful cost.

I need your help to think for me,
And guide me through the day.
God is my hope but you're my friend.
Please walk with me this way.