In 2011 I wrote a poem for my mom. I thought I would begin with that since begin I must. Mamma died of Alzheimer’s on September 30, 2011.

When She Calls My Name
Keitha Whitaker
January 22, 2011

Our lives are tangled up inside;
My sister’s, my brother’s and mine.
Flecks of smiles;
Flashes of light;
Glimmers of days gone by.

She looks at me
And I hope I see
Some sign of recognition.
She tries to speak but words aren’t there
And effort does not bring them.

One thought now stays with me:
We are more than our memories.
She loved me long before I knew her
And I hear it in my heart
When she calls my name.