Welcome to our Poet's Corner! This is the first poem published on our Wordwise site, and we hope it will be the first of many.
In addition, we are excited to bring to you a piece by a published author, Brett Dicks, called Lost. Brett Dicks lectures in the English Department at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His poem speaks sensitively about an illness known as ''Alzheimer's Disease'', and the effect that it had on his own father. Alzheimer's is a disease of the brain, where the sufferer loses the capacity to remember things, use language, think clearly, and eventually, even carry out simple daily tasks. The victim fades away from his or her family, little by little, and piece by piece. As you read through this poem, reflect (think about) how the imagery Dicks uses in the poem, and how it makes you feel, as the reader. Write your comments and thoughts down below in the comments section.
Brett Dix
Lost
1 The man knew his brain machinery was failing him and he was gripped by fear as he desperately searched for familiar ground: a starting point to proceed through the labyrinth, to find his way back home. But his thoughts and memories seemed to slip away from him like the whisperings of ghosts.
2 The man sat staring into nothingness, lost in nothingness. Shadowy shapes appeared before him, yet he did not know what or who they were. He was beyond asking questions, so he sat lifelessly in his chair staring into space. Sometimes a lightning bolt would strike and for a few seconds the man’s neurons fired with brilliant clarity. A supernova in his brain: memories returned in a flash and he knew he had a wife and son. He remembered fishing with them and the family’s abundant catches during those warm, rich days. But that was long ago, before the disease. As he tried to remember more, the light quickly faded and he went back to staring into nothingness.
Published with the permission of the Author.
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