I’m Looking for Rose
By Rose Ong (April 2022)
I’m looking for Rose; have you seen her?
She just doesn’t look like what she used to
But this is odd, because I once knew her well
Or at least I thought I did.
Perhaps the mystery of time has taken hold
And she is but a wisp of a breeze that affected people
Once upon a time; once upon a time.
I’m looking for Rose; have you seen her?
Someone told me to look in a mirror;
But this is odd, because I see an old woman,
Who appears to be fading,
Into the mystery of time, as one who dreams
A wisp of a breeze, barely heard or seen by people, now
Once upon a time; once upon a time.
I’m looking for Rose; have you seen her?
A birdy told me to look around and listen;
But this is odd, because all I hear are whispers,
Of a truth that used to be,
A mystery of time, that age favors the young
And casts aside the broken, the elder, the wisp
Once upon a time; once upon a time.
I’m looking for Rose; and I found her!
Her mind is affected by aphasia, dementia and loss
But this is odd, because I don’t want to waste a moment,
Worrying about what I’ve lost,
The mystery of time has taught me to embrace
My strengths, my hopes and essence – the wisp!
For today is all I have and all I need for tomorrow.
Once upon a time, I was looking for my wisp,
That breeze of hope; that essence of me; my wisp.
What I found were like-minded people who share
The Hope of a better future.
My Wisp shows me time may have given me dementia,
But dementia will never have me,
It will never own me.
Today, I’m flying high, above the doubts, the fears
Above the foggy brain and I almost feel “Normal”,
As normal as I get these days.
But when the fog returns, I no longer get anxious.
I KNOW that the light is still at the end of the tunnel,
And though I may not be at my best today, I know
My wisp will return.
© Rose Ong, 2022
Shared with permission from Rose Ong.
