This is entirely un-dog related and I wouldn’t consider myself a great poetry lover however I heard this poem read on the radio yesterday and, as someone who has had direct experiences of family members with dementia and in care, I found it very moving.
Fold the Sheets Gently
She was a dancer
on youth’s stage,
before age crept up
and changed the dance.
Fold the sheets gently
Clean the beds, mop the floors
He was a postman
who carried miles
of letters but at a stroke
he is still as his stick,
as silent as an unopened
love letter.
Fold the sheets gently
Make the tea and make it sweet
She was a teacher,
who remembers the names
of all her students but
not the faces of her husband
and sons.
Fold the sheets gently
all starched and neat
He was a soldier
who survived.
The poppy in his
pullover, the medals
on his chest of drawers.
Fold the sheets gently
Make the bed, kiss my head.
Family is not everlasting,
some are taken some are not.
Fold the sheets gently
close the blinds slowly
turn out the light and
Say good night
Craigachan Flatcoats 