Mary liked to sit in her favourite chair
with a cup of tea and a cigarette
wishing her neighbours well as they pass by
her cigarettes, lighter and tissues in her handbag
She bought that brown handbag
when she joined the RAF
She took it to work with her
whilst working in the theatre and on the wards
She had it when she married Albert
when she had her daughters
when she became a grandmother
and a great-grandmother
It had gone with her to weddings and funerals
to christenings and parties
Sometimes Mary used to get confused and frightened
but she always knew she was safe and would be well
as long as she had her bag in one hand and Albert in the other
When Mary passed, she took that old brown handbag with her
within it, her cigarettes and tissues
But also, a remembrance of:
everything that she was
to everyone she had met
every airman she had helped as a nurse
every life she had helped save
the tragedy of every life lost
but, not for want of trying
The love of a devoted husband
the times they had spent together in public
and those in private
The good times, the bad times
and those in-between
The laughter shared with friends and colleagues
and the tears too
The years spent raising a family
The successes and some failures
The happy times and the sad
Every selfless act
Every secret kept
Every guidance given
Every lesson learnt
Good night and sleep well,
Dementia can take from your mind
But it cannot touch your handbag
| 
