Guest post - Glen Merrilees - Poem My mums name was Joan

Hi 

With Great thanks to my dear friend,MH campaigner and Poet Glen Merrilees @GlenMerrilees for the beautiful poem below 

Glen has sent beautiful and honest poems before capturing my own life and feelings betters than I can and that I have always proudly shared 

You can follow Glen on Twitter  @GlenMerrilees and I encourage you to support his campaigning work poetry and  films  

Thank you Glen 

Hi Tommy, firstly you were brilliant the other day, the passion shone through. I was looking at some of your posts on twitter yesterday and I read the article you wrote for the newspaper This inspired me to write the attached poem, hope you don't mind but I tried to write it from your perspective

Glen Merrilees 

CARERS

My door was always open

But no-one came to see

The battle we were fighting

My poor mum and me.

There had been a diagnosis

Dementia was It’s name

A ton weight dropped upon me

Fate had changed the game.

I thought, perhaps I’d manage

And it would be okay

But everything was turned around

Worsening each day.

The Lady who adored me

Would slowly drift away

Routines like hearts were broken

Snowdrops never stay.

There’s a lack of understanding

Friends excuses vague

A lack of education

This is NOT the plague.

We need some understanding

Education is the key

How many other carers

Have climbed that hill like me.

The little things mean everything

This illness is no game

My mum was just a patient

They never asked her name.

Left to fight the battle

We faced it on our own

Look further than the illness

My mother’s name was Joan.

We had to climb the mountain

As we had no other choice

It’s time they started listening

Us carers have a voice.