This incident happened several years ago when we were shopping at our Walmart. It is sad to see anyone loose touch with reality. But when you see someone in public who appears to be lost and disoriented, it is very sad. I wrote this poem after seeing a man like this as we were checking out. It was a very emotional experience to see this.
Losing Touch …The Point of No Return
He was wondering across the checkout lanes
At the local Super Wal-Mart
With a look of concern on his face
As he looked across the carts
He was unaware of his condition.
His pants were soaked and soiled
His only concern was to find his wife…
And surely she would come through soon
As I watched him move from lane to lane
My heart went out to this man
Who seemed not to know the state he was in
But had only one plan
I asked him if I could be of help
He said he didn’t think so
She would be coming through very soon.
And he wandered on down the row
I went to find a manager
Who could help him find his wife
But when we returned he had vanished
He was nowhere in sight
I still think about the old man not much older than myself
And wonder if he found her
And what it must be like
Not to know who you are
I cried many tears as I recalled
The empty look, the lack of concern
Unaware of the condition he was in
And for the mind that had grown dim
I wonder if I too will reach
That point of no return
The place where my only concern will be
Just to find the one I love
*************************
Photo from Edge Images: cbsnews .com
Oh, my goodness, this is so terriby sad. If I had seen this, Iwould have most certainly help the poor man/woman out. Heck, I have. I would hope someone would help my mother in the same way.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, it is very heart wrenching!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Heartbreaking. I had a similar situation once but she, too, vanished..We never forget these people, do we? The ones who break our hearts and leave us without an ending?
LikeLiked by 2 people
That is exactly right… a great way of putting it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
BEautiful. Thank you for sharing your story.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome,
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is touching Dwight, like in it drills into the heart. We have this song – Before I forget – about a man enumerating things he still remembers but he is afraid of the moment he will forget the one he loves. Wich is an awful thought.
LikeLiked by 3 people
This would be a most difficult way to go. Thank you Peter for you thoughtful comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
you captured this tragedy so well … the effect on the family is overwhelming … the person themselves only have flashes of insight in the first few years then they are AWOL.
I often wonder if our play with words will keep the brain active enough to remain present …
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hopefully it will keep us sharp! Thanks for your comments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
welcome Dwight!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, this is a tear-jerker for sure! So sad when thinking is impaired…
LikeLiked by 1 person
It really is a sad thing to experience. Thanks Lynn.
LikeLike
Very sad indeed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Sabio!
LikeLike
I appreciate the empathetic response of this reflective poem. These line especially,
“And what it must be like
Not to know who you are”
We are all more vulnerable than we sometimes care to be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it could happen to any one of us. Life is precious and very short. We must live each day to the full!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Heart breaking. I too had a similar experience with an older gentleman trying to get his glasses to go into the bank machine rather than a card. He was so disoriented. My husband and I ended up getting him to show us his ID and we drove him home – he had wandered off and his wife was frantic so ended ok but very sad. We just have to trust that most people like yourself are good and kind and will help others in need but heart breaking none the less. Very moving blog.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for your thoughtful sharing. It is so important to try and help people who can’t help themselves. You did a really good thing. .
LikeLiked by 1 person
and now my heart is heavy and my eyes stained with knocking tears. i felt this man through your words. i hope he is in a good place, wherever he is. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your heartfelt response! I hope so too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heart-breaking…There are many people who are lost without displaying their struggle and pain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is true. Not everyone shows their pain.
LikeLike
Yes, because it can be like in the wildlife…the one who stands out due to injuries, vulnerability or deficits can become a victim / prey.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very true!
LikeLike
A heart-felt and moving poem Dwight, it is so sad to see this and we see this here too. Disoriented men looking for a wife who passed away years ago or looking for a dog or cat who’s long gone. Thankfully in our small community we all watch out for one another and we walk each other home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! It is so important to look out for those who cannot help themselves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How sad, Dwight. I’m afraid I’ve been seeing more and more of these ‘lost’ souls and my mother was one of them. He was so lucky that you were there to help him – so many people would just look away and walk on by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is very sad. By the time we got back to the checkout he was gone!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t even imagine 😦 what the loved ones of people in such condition go through ..
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is very challenging. Care is needed 24/7.
LikeLike
I like your ending. He still had the most important concern in mind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, whether he knew it or not…! Thanks Frank.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This touched my heart, and recalled to memory seeing the calendar hanging on the wall in my mother’s kitchen in her late years of Alzheimer’s on which she had written “This is today”, her attempt to stay in touch with reality. It broke my heart.
LikeLiked by 2 people
So sad when people lose touch with reality. Thank you for sharing your story!
LikeLike
Heartfelt and heartbreaking, Dwight. It could also happen to me some day in the not to distant future. What’s heartening is that love never dies. You express this so well in your closing lines: “I wonder if I too will reach / That point of no return / The place where my only concern will be / Just to find the one I love”.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, it seems love like music is one of the last things we lose. I hope it is not too soon for us if at all!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A very sensitive and empathetic rendering.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Jade. It really left an imprint on me!
LikeLike
Oh so very sad… you can just wonder. My mother started to believe her parents were alive before she ceased to talk..
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a very sad condition to be in. Very sad to watch the decline!
LikeLike
Oh my Dwight, that just put tears in my eyes. So gentle in your portrayal of this poor souls plight – but your love and concern shone through. I hope he did find his wife. As you wrote here Dwight, there but for good fortune, go you and I, and any of us. Every 90 days, when I go to my endocrinologis, she gives me a ten minute session to evaluate my memory, focused primarily on short term memory. Being a brittle disbetic for over 20 years, and being 72, my chances of developing dimensia are greater each year. I hope not, and I hope not for you my friend! My memory can be scattered at times, doing things like having my keys in my han 5 minutes ago, then not knowing where they are. But so far I test OK. If you are concernef, and you aren’t doing so – I recommend you get your doc to do a little test with you from time to time. Couldn’t hurt. Peace Dwight!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Rob for your kind words and for sharing your comment. So far so good for me. I have had bad short term memory all my life, so no one will know when I really get there! (<:
LikeLike
Awesome post, Dwight! I feel in the same boat having had both parents pass from Alzheimer’s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes one does not know what to do to help the situation. I am sorry to hear that. It must have been extremely stressful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, one of the worst ways to go, in my opinion!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
LikeLike
Heart-wrenching. I have to say you put me right there and I saw him through your words, your eyes. A most cruel disease. God bless you for being so caring.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! I wish I could have done more!
LikeLike
And yet despite it all, an independent spirit. He found his way alone. Indeed, mostly we must.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes that is true!
LikeLike
So moving. I had an experience like this recently but the man was so “gone” that I couldn’t get a connection, I had a similar reaction, felt so sad. Thank you for this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Paul! This incident will be forever embedded in my memory!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I often think that’s because it touches us at our core and it touches our anxiety, I know I wonder if that will be me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is difficult to look into the mirror and realize it is me I am looking at!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely Dwight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh gosh–what a heartbreaking situation. That poor man! I hope a loved one found him. Sometimes we get phone alerts about an elderly person who’s gone missing. It is so sad. I would be haunted by this, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know the end result! It is heartbreaking to see.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
And as we celebrate easter for those who we stand together in the faith of the gospel, let our hearts get to the point of no return, where our only concern shall be in finding the peace of he who loves us, and let us not pay any homage to our troubles nor our dissapointments nor our failures,.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for your comment! Well said!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oooh sad, but your writing is amaizing, i love it💞
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much. It was a very sad situation!
LikeLike