Will you stay....



 If I experience dementia,
will you stay my friend?
Will you say my name;
not call me "him" or "them"?
Will you believe that I believe
and let that be enough?
Will you acknowledge my frustration and confusion
without laughing or shaking your head?
Will you keep trying to reach me
and ask about my yester-years and ten years before?
Will you nudge me like I'm the Pillsbury Dough boy
and elicit a spark in my eye and a giggle in my belly?
Will you tickle my funny bone?
Will you clean me
with a gentle heart and a gentle hand?
Will you tell others who I am
and what is real and wonderful about me?
Will you not be embarrassed
so I don't have to be?
Will you take me out to my favorite places
and let me pick new places too?
Will you stay my friend? Until the end?