A Million Kisses

After Bill suffered his strokes, he was given to bouts of depression. For no apparent reason, he would burst into tears, and all I could do was hold him until he settled down. During one such bout, he said, “I owe you a million kisses.”

This inspired the following poem from How to  Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver. It’s written from his point of view, describing how he must have felt.

 

STROKE

 

I owe you a million kisses.

I owe you a million hugs.

And now that you are my Mrs.,

I should keep you safe from thugs.

But I have been dealt a hard blow,

which leaves me unable to do

the things I delighted in so,

and that includes loving you.

If I could hold you once more,

I’d cherish the love you provide.

If fate would open the door

and allow me to walk inside,

I’d give you a million kisses

now that you are my Mrs.

 

Abbie Johnson Taylor, Author of We Shall Overcome and How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver