roy

his name means king
and he is, of this family
he had a stroke this morning
and at 91 it probably won't be long

Alzheimer's has been gradually
robbing us of him for years
it's been worse since his wife died

that's what he still calls her
my grandmother
"my wife"
with reverence
not possession
but with wonder and love

and now he's sicker
and weaker
and half of him left with her
and she was a quarter of my mother
and this will leave my mother smaller
and my family shattered

it has been fractured since my grandmother died
her death was the bad weld on a well-loved ring
our family has never been the same since
this will weaken us
to the point where there is no repair possible

and i will miss him so so much