Drought July 28, 2013

My bones are picked clean. The buzzards of fatigue and stress, self loathing, contempt have ravaged my skeleton and left no tiny little morsels of kindness, toward myself or toward him. He continues his inexorable slide into the vast emptiness of the Alzheimer's desert. He stands, motionless in that space until directed to sit, to stand, to walk. His shuffling gait getting more palsied, weaker, slower. I scream myself hoarse: at him, at me, at the universe. I scream so loud and so long, I see spots before my eyes. You would think, smart girl that I thought I was, that I would know how awful I will feel about my screaming when he's gone. But you see, I DO know this; I just can't seem to help it. I want to punch something all the time. There are mars and scars and holes in my house bearing testimony to this. It is actually no surprise I am so accident prone. It helps to be with others, not so alone in his care. It helps me monitor my own infantile reactions and gives him someone with a little distance who can be always warm and kind. The only advice I get from professionals seems to be about how to engage him and/or how not to judge myself. I flat don't want to do the former, and cannot possibly do the latter. I want to be free of all this. The constant, never ending need, the waste management, the pitying looks from others, the obvious end of my rope for me. I am sick to death of all of it. I am tired of hearing my own whining. Perhaps that's why I scream.....to hear something different coming from my lips?!