She lived a life like no other
But she couldn't even remember she was a mother
She traveled wide and far
Now her mind was compromised
Yet she still shined like a bright, spunky star
Alzheimer's attacked like a vulture but she was still herself
And I valued every trip to that assisted living
Like nothing else
She knew she loved me as we ate ice cream and talked
She was one of the best
Angels that ever walked
I'm lucky to have known her
From the beginning to the very end
Even if she only recognized me as an acquaintance, barely a friend
She'd seen the whole world and experienced things I could only dream of
She met many
And touched lives aplenty
The nurses and fellow residents spoke well of her for good reason
We visited her with ice cream at every moment we could
No matter the season
We laughed and talked with her and she told us about her new life and friends
Little did she know her life was coming to an end
We cried in private but smiled to her face
Although smiling in her presence
Was easy
She was brighter than every star in space
She glowed with vitality
Even if she was bruised and frail
The storm was coming to take her any day
We soaked up our time with her despite the rain and hail
Soaked to the bone we clung to the fact that time was playing nice
She filled our days with her pain yet perfectly intact spice
I told her stories from school
About boys, classes, and trivial things
Laying broken on her bed
We were her wings
We never failed to visit her and although she rarely remembered our names
Long ago a piece of our hearts she laid claim
She may not have remembered
But she was a mother, wife, grandma, great grandma, and adored
And she was loved so much
Both her inner and outer beauty left a'many floored
Little did she know how much we all loved her
And how hard it was to know soon there'd be an end
Time was a racing clock
And we knew we had barely any time to spend
Life was crazy
Life was bleak
But we never missed a week
We chased the clock with honeyed words admist mounting frustration
Time was a fickle and annoying creation
It never could decide when it would take her away
It hunted her down like a tiger with its prey
She fell and slipped, cried and broke
Yet she never failed to laugh and joke
She shined with a light not unlike precious gems and the hot summer sun
Every day with her was a treasure won
Cheap ice cream, priceless moments, and wild laughter
Every second valued
Because there was no guarantee of one coming after
We brought her joy to trade for the joy she unknowingly brought us
Love couldn't save her life
But our love for her we never failed to discuss
She was reminded again and again
That we were more than just her friends
We loved her more than we could put into words
She flew so high during our visits
She danced a quickstep with the birds
Our agony, joy, and love collided
And melded into one
And she smiled like the summer sun
We hugged her goodbye one day and she never did realize
The love bursting out of us for her
A love fully deserved
She was something special
And her value was perfectly preserved
I was 13 when she breathed her last
And my memories of her will never fade into the past
Most kids never get to meet their great grandma but I got to know mine
She was truly divine
And now that she's gone
I treasure my memories and the heirlooms passed down
And ice cream dates and old stories that'll never drown
Laughter and tears
Joy and pain
The clock ran out and doused us in rain
But I'll have memories of her that'll never fade
Oh, she'll stay with me til my own clock runs out
And new memories together will
Be made
