Before It Slips Away

In 2017, there was a mystery so deep and untold,  
Brain cancer intruded our lives and our world it controlled,  
Unleashing chaos and fear with all its swirling might,  
The disease was surely unwelcome but brought an unwavering fight.

My mother eagerly whispered, "I can hear cancer's call",  
We thought her words were strange, dismissive, and small,  
Somehow she knew without a doubt and her intuition was so pure,  
For cancer's cruel theft was already here and it was a fate she would endure.

Her craniotomy revealed a sinister beast and it was worse than they knew,  
The cancer detected would get more treacherous, the longer it grew.  
Grade 3 Oligodendroglioma, they declared, the aggressive cancer form,  
Was ripping through her brain tissue like an enraging violent storm.

In the depths of our minds, where cabinets form and hide,  
Is a storage for our thoughts and where our memories reside,  
Some drawers are filled with moments, neatly aligned,  
While other drawers are bare, empty, and confined.

As the years passed by, her memories seemed to fade,  
Her strokes were unwelcomed and caused a ruthless mind's raid,  
Now with stage 6 dementia, it was surely a heart-wrenching toll,  
There was no comfort in anything, just a merciless black hole.

Brain cancer and dementia are such a relentless pair,  
It stripped her of memories and tossed her words in the air.
Robbery is a word that paints a graphic scene,
It’s cloaked in darkness and its presence is unseen.

She lost understanding of the simplest of things,  
Her movement was restricted and no longer had wings,  
Her speech was now a brief whisper, so frail and so faded,  
Her soul was robbed of it all and her legacy was raided.

Neither will discriminate, but sit silently and reside,  
Affecting all of us eventually in the darkness where they hide,  
When I was only three, my mother was taken away,  
Leaving me heartbroken and a motherless stray.

For seven long years, our random visits were strained,
Bound by prison guards, permission had to be gained,
Our bond as mother and daughter was ultimately denied,  
The pain of loss still lingers with tears that never dried.

As the years continued to pass, our future would depend,  
On the fractured connection, we wished to one day mend,
Though our time together was short, our efforts remained so true,  
We longed for a feeling of closeness and love we never knew.

As I became an adult and had children of my own,
I understood her reasoning and realized I was never alone,
I had my grandmother by my side and my mom was now my friend,
But here we were fighting this battle and I was losing her again.

Despite her awareness of it all, our names escaped her mind's reach,
Words echoed like whispers only offering her a tearful speech,  
The puzzle was all unraveled in a million lost pieces and parts,  
Her thoughts were now confetti causing broken dreams and shattered hearts.

Confronting the diseases head-on, they unfolded a tragic descent,  
Her health weakened, her memories lost and her speech now absent,  
Eating, bathing, and walking, once strong but now dissolved,  
Although she kept her spirits high, a new battle had evolved.

As she grew weary and her strength became increasingly weak,
Her fight became a losing battle that she could no longer seek,  
She lost her battle on May 3 and released her tight grip,  
Cancer and dementia had won the war with its unmerciful whip.

For the second time, I’ve lost my mom and I don’t know where to begin,  
With grief so closely connected, my heart and soul must mend again,  
Imagine this void in your life because you both were lost and in pain,  
So many questions unanswered yet no knowledge left to gain.

Together we all should stand, so brave and so bold,
And listen to the worries and all the stories untold,  
When their memories start to fade, please always keep in mind,
A promise to remind them that they will never be left behind.

Cancer is a dreadful curse, and its grip is so severe,  
Dementia is a spiteful thief, stealing memories once so clear,  
We long for a cure to put an end to this cruel ordeal,  
And stop the painful agony so there are no more wounds to heal.

Pause and embrace the ones you love and hold in your heart so dear,
For each soul carries a clock from Heaven, but the expiration is unclear,
Express your love to family and friends and don't let time get in the way,
Cherish each moment you have with them all … before it slips away.