Alzheimer's Reading Room
A Puzzled Mind
I sat and watched.
With gleaming silver hair and wrinkled hands,
the two women sat staring at the puzzle in front of them.
Barely cognizant of each other,
they stared at the pieces, trying to make sense
of a world they no longer understood.
I saw the flicker of a smile,
an instant of memory, a moment of understanding.
Trembling fingers grasped a piece,
A token to complete a void.
It made sense where sense no longer existed.
It brought tranquility to a peaceless mind.
The puzzle would never be completed,
but its contribution would never be lost:
calm, logical thought which had been all but forgotten,
mastery that was no longer expected.
Could it be one last acquaintance with success?
Yest, I recognized the glimmer in their eyes.
Max Wallack is a student at Boston University Academy. His great grandmother, Gertrude Finkelstein, suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Max is the founder of PUZZLES TO REMEMBER , a 501(c.)3 charitable organization. PUZZLES TO REMEMBER is a project that provides puzzles to nursing homes and other institutions that care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.
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Alzheimer's Reading Room
Original content Max Wallack, the Alzheimer's Reading Room