I Used to be Like you

What a wonderful write! I truly enjoyed this poem. I loved the way you spoke about such a delicate issue (mental health problems) but made it relatable to your reader. We all have days when we want to zone the world out, right? But what if that was more than just a bad day? Food for thought! I love it when a poem makes me think and place myself in someone else's shoes!

Great piece! 5/5 from me!

Very very interesting...

Hellon, I love this. I know you mention it is about Alzheimer's but I can take this to be about other mental illness's too. That might be because of my own experiences of course, but I find it immediately speaks to me/that I can relate -because- of my own struggles, even though mine are not which you mention, if that makes sense.

""Have you taken your Pills?"
"Yes"...No..I haven't really
but...you don't know that
make me sleep and...
I don't want to!"

This. This is what speaks to me, more than anything. I'm on my medication consistently now, since the last time we spoke about it but even so, I can completely understand and relate to both sides here.

It's like-from the angle of the person caring, "Yes, I know you don't want to but you have to!" whilst praying to yourself they get better, and from the person taking them "No, I don't need them, I'm fine, I'll get better on my own" even though they never will.

"You've locked the door
so I can't get out
slides the chain over,
now you can't get in either"

Here, I take this that you are referencing the person's mind and not an actual place?

"not induced..ha! ha!
pills in bin."

This brings me back to my initial thoughts of the first stanza-the thoughts of "don't need you, I'll make it on my own" Basically, it makes me think this person is thinking, ** you, to be blunt, though aimed at the medication.

"Someone important may call
I'm sure they will
today..."

This breaks my heart. It's like, even though they don't want help, deep down, they still hold that tiny candle of hope, that someone WILL help, even if they refuse it.

This tears at me for so many reasons, several of which I'm sure you can understand.

Old poetry or not, as always, you write it beautifully.

I work in a nursing home and help people with dementia/Alzheimer every day...usually I see every stage from the beginning to the ending...and it absolutely breaks my heart to see them forget pieces of their lives, memories just gone without a trace.

It's usually a battle to get some of them to take their pills... one for the reason you stated, it makes them so groggy... and two, they get to a point they are scared, not understanding why they have to take it... or go into a complete panic thinking you are giving them the wrong medication or drugging them, etc.

You portrayed the humor nicely in the lock in/out stanza. It provides somewhat some satisfaction for them... that they think they still have control.

The phone calls, telemarketers I assume, do get aggravating... but I've known of plenty of older people that sign up for things to get the calls just so they can have someone to talk to... it's sad, really...but sometimes them phone calls make their day.

Eventually a slumber arrives that isn't medication induced...I like the added "ha! ha!" that little bit of humor with power twisted in it, power they still can enforce.

The ending is really quite... lonely and sad... the hope that someone important will call, someone they love will come and check up on them. I know a lot of my residents always ask me if so and so called and it breaks my heart to tell them no sometimes. You can see the sadness spread across their face. :(

Wonderful write, Hellon... truly touched me in more than one way.

Now that I know what it was about, it makes perfect sense. My granpa had Alzheimer, though I was not with him the whole time, but he still kept his sense of humour, so now I feel a connection to the poem.

Though, my grandpa was more fond to mirrors than the phone. I think it was in a later stage, that he spent hours look at the mirror and talking to the guy in front of him. After a while he got angry because the guy in the mirror was copying him. At first, I thought he was playing with me, that he was trying to fool me eventually realized he was serious. So the mirrors were taken away and the front door had to be extra locked.

So in each case is different but similar,
Alzheimer makes one forget and to feel forgotten.
when in reality one is actually the most remember by family members.