The Long Good Bye

I look into those eyes
That raised me from birth
The person that inspired me
And gave me worth

Today those eyes look at me
They no longer know my name
I haven’t really changed
Yet nothing is ever the same

Sometimes I see some recognition
Other times I feel hope
I gently rub her hand
I don't know how to help her cope

Some days I hear her crying
I try to comfort and console
A flicker of love appears
A simple step, one of my goals

I don't remember when I noticed
It seems so long ago
She slowly was leaving me
My mind always told me no

I watch the nurses feed her
I wish they had met this mom of mine
It would then be made clear
I need them to love her and be ever so kind

This has been a long good-bye
I never know when it will end
I just want to be near her
Even if only as her friend

As the days turn into weeks
People no longer stop in
My mom as they knew her
Slipped away, over and over again

I will continue to pray for a cure
No matter how deep in her tunnel she may go
I will always love the woman
The nurturer of love, her mind faded ever so slow