DEMENTIA: Dementia is like a sink hole that swallows a bullet-proof car. It reduces even the most highly-placed individual to a helpless level of total dependency.
Not long ago,
He was an icon;
a legend,
a forceful voice—
a voice that seemed to vibrate through the universe.
Every word of his,
every suggestion that came from his mouth
was chewed,
swallowed, digested and
stored by the insatiable world of conformism.
His word was the law;
his outfit the fashion-setter.
When he walked the halls of power
his footsteps were recorded and rehearsed
for future reproduction.
Every inch of him;
Every act of his was scrutinized for perfection.
A common nut chewed by his teeth,
would break the record as the best
in town.
Today,
He is a shadow of himself;
The icon in him blown around like harmattan leaves.
He is subdued,
stifled,
abused and kicked around;
not by the rich,
not by the mighty and the powerful,
but by an invisible demon called dementia.
Kept beyond the reach of the paparazzi
by those that love him most,
his face has gone from ubiquity to obscurity.
He wanders aimlessly
around the house,
oblivious to the passage of time.
A champion of people’s health and well-being,
he’s no longer obsessed by his own nutritional needs.
His spouse of yesteryears
grapples with lingering thoughts and images
of the glorious past.
She’s constantly on the move chasing after shifting shadows
As she tries to fight the helplessness
of one known to be her better half.
She wonders if,
and how much longer,
she can hang on.
Some days,
She wishes she could exchange places
with the faded icon;
a mere wishful thinking.
Other days,
she wants to end it all the same way it started;
hand-in-hand,
two-in-one,
into the hands of the waiting death.
Not long ago,
She was the Madam;
the lady that conquered the hearts and minds of all.
Every man,
big and small, dreamt dreams of sniffing her scent.
She had luster;
she had class.
She had the sparkle of an immortal gem.
When she smiled,
her teeth would melt the hearts
of every race.
Her body was a perfect match
for every outfit.
If her name was music,
everyone would die to sing a song.
Today, she is a shadow of herself;
a priceless gem tossed around by the invisible wind.
She’s lost a sense of time,
A sense of direction,
a sense of belonging,
a sense of well-being.
A champion of freedom,
she is held hostage by an insidious entity called
dementia.
What manner is this dementia that
Subdues the best of the best?
Dementia;
you degrade the best among us.
You disgrace them in a most demeaning way.
Yet;
as dehumanizing as you are,
you remain faceless,
so reclusive and difficult to decipher.
What exactly are you hiding from?
With all the research weapons;
All the experiments mobilized in your pursuit,
You remain hidden in your convoluted corner.
Keep hiding, dementia;
keep hiding.
One day;
one fateful day,
your luck will run out and the forces
of the medical world will bare your secrets
and clip your tired wings.
One day,
with science on your trail,
there will be no more victim;
and
no hiding place for you.