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We have alot of men residents at our facility. They love baking sweets. We were baking brownies today. One gentleman, with the use of only one arm, was grasping the knife and spreading the gooey rich chocolate batter all over the bottom of the pan. “Chocolate is sexy,” he said with a charming smile. I laughed and put the pan in the oven. I had an idea. “While the Brownies are baking, let’s write a poem about Brownies and we can start with Scott’s statement for the first line.” Each one added words. I made sure that the beginning of each rhyming couplet had a word at the end that was easy to rhyme with. Here is what they came up with:

Chocolate is sexy, Scotty said
It’s even better than raisin bread.
It’s pure unadulterated batter
Eating it makes us happier
It makes our lives so very sweet
Gooey brownies are quite a treat
They make us very mean and smart
The beat goes on for us old farts.

She was wearing a very tight girdle.

She took it right off

So she could play golf

 And then jump over a hurdle.

This is the most recent of many limericks that we have written in Alzheimer’s units.  We begin with a sentence usually “There once was…..”  and then we come up with a word or a name that that has plenty of rhyming words.  Then we make a list of rhyming words and then they come up with sentences.  As a facilitator, I put my guidance in as needed.  The sentences and the rhyming in this poem was all theirs.  It brings alot of laughs and comeraderie as they work in a group to put it together, kind of like a puzzle.

It was time for a “holiday tea” for the “Advanced Stage Alzheimer’s Unit”. We set the table with a colorful table cloth and special dishes. Each one had a special place. My artist friend and I talked naturally about many Christmas memories, as we watched quickened glances, and even a few sparse comments. We do not always know what is understood or heard. As we finished our tea we wrote limericks.

There once was a lady named Jane
Who walked outside in the rain
It started to snow
And the wind did blow
So she went in the house again

Our limericks were configured by the artists in healthcare who were present. Those with Alzheimer’s were very engaged in hearing the rhythms and helping with the rhyming.

The leaves were flying all around
Red, and yellow, orange and brown
Stepping on them making sounds
Crunching sounds all over the ground

I was sitting with 2 residents in an Alzheimer’s Unit.
“Let’s write a haiku poem. Look out the window at all the snow. What do you think of the snow? How does it make you feel? What does it remind you of?”
I received feedback: Ice cream, cold, have to wear a coat, kinda wet, falling ice, snowball, winter, dead.
“What would you compare it to?”
My sister sleeping.
“Is the snow sleeping?”
Yes
It also has energy
“For what?”
To make the grass grow in the spring.

I began writing their words in the 5 syllables, then 7 syllables, then 5 syllables. Here is our Haiku poem.
Peaceful snow sleeping
Watering seeds for Spring
Waiting for flowers.
We got the paints out and painted flowers coming out of the snow.

Ted is 86 and loves landscape paintings.
“I could never do one,” he said.
“Let’s try,” I said.

We watched as the water and colors spread across the page forming mountains and meadows with the wave of his hand. When it was finished, I held it up. He thought it needed a horse and asked if I would put one in it. I did just that and he asked for some more horses.

“Let’s write a poem about this picture. You come up with a sentence.”

He came up with a sentence about the sunset and we brainstormed on words that rhymed with “west”. We ended up with a 4 line poem.

The sun is setting in the west.
It is going down behind the crest.
A horse is following the rest.
“Wait for me” the stallion says.

David is bedridden. He sees himself in the shadows.  His emotions and wisdom emerge when he speaks in creative phrases or paints with one hand.  Creative arts and the challenge to use the imagination bring forth freedom that surpasses the body.  David can be “who he is” in spite of not having the physical capabilities to express the depths of the soul.  So much can be expressed not only with words that come out in poetry, but with color, and brushstrokes, and even the beat of a drum!

A Poem about Clothes

Eva couldn’t at one time wear shoes.
Her feet would swell… what could she do?
She cannot wear a woolen sweater.
She wears cotton instead… that’s even better.
Ann likes to wear shirts that are red.
“I won’t wear black” she said, shaking her head.
Mary likes to wear a white sweater
And wearing blue is even better.
Rosie doesn’t like to wear scratchy clothes.
It causes itching on skin and nose.
Thelma likes wearing a plain old dress.
A bright and pretty dress… oh yes!

Doing poetry together with the aging is one of the best treats in my week. “This was a wonderful time.” I have heard many say that as they leave our poetry groups. One day, we wrote several Haiku poems. We chose nature themes and brainstormed on phrases. Then we counted the 5-7-5 beat (syllables), narrowing it down to the most picturesque language. We then painted watercolor pictures to go with the poems.

Another day, he was feeling down and I asked him to put it into words. The following poem flowed out and I wrote it down.

Bitterness

Once able to do
Now
Miss people
Having somebody
People
Busy people
I think of myself
As important
They don’t understand
Why should they?
Too much on their minds
So I sit here
And I click
Me and my TV remote
Chewing gum for eyes
And there’s the plastic dog
On my windowsill
I see a bush outside
And a garbage dumpster
Leaves drop and blow
They come back
Rejuvenate
I don’t want to click
I want to read