Alzheimer’s

1

You lose
Your place

Like
In a
Book

You lose
The page
In the book
Of  your life

You cannot
Find the place
To put
Your thumb

One page
Looks just
Like another

You look
Out the window

You wonder
Where you are

2

Is this Calgary?
You ask

Calgary
Is the
One page
You retain

Calgary Stampede
Cowboy town
Lake Louise
Ice skating
Big bands

This is
The only place
In the heavy fog
Notes:

This poem was previously published in Crooners (Tempo Ritrovato, 2011) and is reprinted here by permission of William J. Harris. It is part of the portfolio “I Hope You Like Being Here with Me: The Work of William J. Harris,” curated by Howard Rambsy II.

Source: Poetry (February 2023)