Vampires
My father-in-law is 86 years old and in end stage Alzheimer's. I started writing poems three years ago about his disease. I have put some of them on the site already. They are all based on real conversations that I've had with him.
“I don’t like vampires.”
Dad said as I came into his room.
You can never tell where we are going
when the conversation starts out like this.
“Have vampires been bothering you lately?” I asked him.
“Yeah. I don’t like them.”
“No one does dad. Did you watch a vampire movie on TV?”
I was hoping to connect some dots so I could figure
out what he was getting at.
“No, I don’t like vampire movies.”
“How about werewolves?”
“They don’t like vampire movies either.”
“So only vampires have been bothering you?”
I was trying to get him to open up.
“They come here in the night.”
“Were you sleeping when they came in?”
Maybe he was dreaming.
“Yeah.”
“Did the vampires wake you up?”
“Yeah, they wake you up when they take your blood.”
“Did the vampire bite you on the neck?”
“No, on my arm.”
He said as he held up his arm.
I could see the mark. It was from a blood draw.
“Dad, are you pulling my leg?”
“Yeah.” He smiled.
“Good one dad.”
Copyright © Tony Lane | Year Posted 2011
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