This is the story that isn’t told:
That as our parents grow old
There is a caring debt to be paid.
And with that caring comes
Our own letting go,
Sleepless nights,
Calming a bewildered mind.
Having conversations that half start,
And stall,
And start again –
Seeking clarity,
Yet afraid of too much honesty,
Lest it opens flood gates
That will never close
For either of us.
This is a switch back road we travel
With ever changing twists and turns:
Chinks of light and dark corners of sadness.
It is time to bring this story into the light
To make ‘keeping company’ as life ebbs,
A part of life.
Jo Hansen 