No longer he rises to greet her as wife
Though they have been married for most of her life.
She longs to embrace him and say, “I love you.”
But who is this stranger? He has not a clue.

For years he’s regressed to the state he’s now in;
She tries to remember, “When did it begin?”
Her job on the Court, so demanding each day,
Meant there were more times when she must be away.

At last it was clear John would need better care;
The Alzheimer’s wing was an answer to prayer.
He no longer noticed ‘twas Sandra who came
To visit him daily; he knew not her name.

On one of her visits, a patient walked in,
She hugged and kissed John, asked him how he had been.
“This is my girlfriend,” John said to his wife.
“She said she would love me the rest of my life.”

And Sandra O’Connor, with arms opened wide
Said hello to John’s girlfriend but inside she cried.
The man whom she married a long time ago
Had long since forgotten; she knew it was so.

She watched as the couple held hands and they kissed
Not knowing that these were the things Sandra missed.
God gave understanding to Sandra that day:
The love John once gave her was all gone away.

On each of her visits, she held them both tight
And told them their love was a beautiful sight.
For John had a new love; her eyes brightly shown
And Sandra would love her like she was her own.

Each time Sandra visited, John called her “friend.”
She knew it’d be hard but she vowed to pretend.
Though John may not know her the rest of his life,
In heaven he’ll tell her, “You once were my wife.”

Copyright © by Mariane Holbrook Share