Kate Swaffer is a brave and highly literate woman living with a diagnosis of dementia. She is a tireless advocate of meaningful dialogue about the critical issues impacting persons like herself. She also writes a terrific blog. She says of herself: “I am living every day as if it’s my last, just in case it is. I urge you all to do the same.” I especially liked the poem I’ve re-blogged here — in part for its lovely sound and shape, but more importantly, because it’s true for everyone one of us, and not just for Kate.
He knows what he knows
And she knows what she knows
But who knows what she knows
And who knows what he knows
Some days I don’t know
What I know
Let alone what he knows
And even less what she knows
It ‘s a strange conundrum
Wondering what he knows
Or she knows
When most days
I’ve got trouble
Remembering what I know
The point being
We know less about more
Nothing about everything
But in the end
Who knows?
ON BEING OLD 