By Gladi McMurtry – Saskatoon, Sask.
I met a man today,
Whose wife died with dementia,
He told me just how hard it was to see
He wondered if her thoughts
That were bottled up inside
Could be gotten to by using the right key
She mumbled when he visited
Was never understood
Until five days before she passed away
At that time she looked him squarely in the face
And said, “I’ll not be coming home with you today.”
He saw a tear roll down her cheek
As if she really knew
Her time was getting shorter
Then she gave a sigh
She hoped that somehow he would know
She was telling him goodbye
What a wonderful love story I was hearing
They had been together for seventy years
They had some sons and daughters
Lived through many joys and tears
His eyes lit up as he spoke of her now
The memories so fresh in his mind
She was the woman he had always loved
And he hated to be left behind
He was out working in their garden
Weeding and taking such care
This was a favourite place of hers
Many of the plants being rare
He told me that he felt she was near him
The girl that she used to be
He could still hear her girlish laughter
When they planted their favourite tree
Their lives had been full and so happy
I could tell by the look in his eyes
This man who was now ninety one years of age
This to me was a very big surprise
He looked at least twenty years younger
Had he found “The Fountain of Youth?”
I think it was love that the two of them had
Their respect for each other and truth
I am glad that I stopped to talk with this man
As he toiled in his garden today
I think he liked it too … it gave him a chance
And he told me the story his way
