At first,
I thought it was the frail slouch of his shoulders and
The bewildered words tumbling out his mouth and
The rickety beat of his fragile heart,
But then I looked into his lost eyes
And saw emptiness.

If I could pour every happy memory I own into his head,
Just to see those bright blue eyes light up again,
I would.

If I could lose my most treasured dreams,
So that he could remember his beloved wife again,
I would.

If I could break every healthy bone in my body
To make his trembling heart beat strongly again,
I would.

If I could take away the struggle of each day
And the suffering of the aching pain
For each of my family members,
I would.

I would give my life ten times over
And the future I desire,
Just to see the man I remember
Back again.