“Pantoum for Dad” by Christine Churchill
A poem about caring for a parent living with dementia.
Pantoum for Dad
By Christine Churchill
So sudden and so abrupt:
From ideas to words to silence,
the stationary shrinking of his being,
the ebb with no returning flow.
From ideas to words to silence,
pain shines the light on love;
the ebb with no returning flow
washes away to the essentials.
Pain shines the light on love:
A glimmer of recognition, a sob reaching out,
and washes away to the essentials
of devotion and of time
A glimmer of recognition, a sob reaching out,
hands holding on to the end,
the essentials of devotion and of time
given so freely and so fondly.
Though it has seemed so fast,
the transition from his being to his soul,
I will hold onto the love that was given,
always so freely and so fondly.
April is National Poetry Month
Writing can be a great tool for expression and reflection, often helping us process our emotions. This National Poetry Month, we’d like to share Pantoum for Dad, a poem by Minds in Motion® volunteer Christine Churchill. Her poem speaks to the experience of caring for a parent living with dementia.
We recently featured a story about Christine’s volunteer work with our Minds in Motion program, and how caring for her own father, who lived with dementia, drove her to help others now walking that same path.
Her pantoum (a poem known for its recurring line patterns) expresses love, loss and the painfully quick way that dementia can progress.
