(Poem) “Alive in a Kaleidoscope”
Author: Jim Kelly
Caregiving for a person living with dementia
is a long tunnel,
an emotional kaleidoscope
turning slowly,
then suddenly,
without warning.One moment
a flash of recognition—
a familiar smile,
a remembered name,
a shared laugh
from years ago.Then the cylinder turns,
and the pattern changes.Confusion arrives.
Questions repeat.
Accusations emerge
from a mind struggling
to make sense of a world
that no longer fits together.Love remains,
yet it is tested
by exhaustion,
frustration,
and grief
for losses that arrive
long before death.The tunnel stretches onward.
There is no map.
No promise
of what waits around the next bend.Only the certainty
that Alzheimer’s changes all.It changes memory.
It changes relationships.
It changes plans
carefully made
over a lifetime.And quietly,
almost unnoticed,
it changes the caregiver too.Yet still,
the caregiver walks.One step.
One day.
One moment
of patience,
compassion,
and endurance
at a time.Moving through
the ever-changing colors
of an emotional kaleidoscope,
searching for light
within the tunnel,
and finding it,
again and again,
in love.© Jim Kelly
Qouted message from Author: “Kelly’s poetry has appeared in Litro Magazine, Urban Pen Magazine, and The New Verse News. His poetry blends personal reflection and social commentary. Also, two Chap Books.”
All Poetry at Urban Poems are for expression only. This particular poem is titled (Alive in a Kaleidoscope). Artistic writing literature provides concentrated awareness; that is imaginative. Some forms of creative text attempt to express truths about life, tell a story, or honor God. In addition many different styles cause difficulty in defining. There are 9 different forms of poetry. What’s more, these forms are Haiku; which is an ancient form of Japanese expressions. There is free verse and it is a modern version. Its meaning is the freedom to write in any form.
Furthermore 14 lines Sonnet writers deal with love. Moreover there is Acrostic, which spells out a name, word, phrase or message with the first letter of each line of the poem. Made up of 19 lines and five stanzas of three lines goes by the name of Villanelle. Limerick creations are funny and at times can be rude. Ode Musically performed pieces are nice on the ears. Particular subject Elegy is clear and direct. Last but not least there is Ballad that typically tells a dramatic emotional story.
Full literature on poetry here.