Dr. Daniel C. Potts is a friend and neurologist with the Tuscaloosa, AL, Veteran’s Administration. He’s also a strong, public advocate for those living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia and their caregivers. His late father Lester lived several years with Alzheimer’s. You may remember that I shared a post about Dr. Potts last October titled What His Father Taught This Doctor About Alzheimer’s.

In his spare time, probably about 3 o’clock in the morning, Dr. Potts also is a writer and poet. You can find his work on his blog, The Wooded Path. He recently posted this poem, which I thought you might find of interest and meaningful.

What the World Needs Now

“I don’t need you to try and fix me,” he muttered,
“or tell me everything’s all right, because it’s not.
What I need is for you to be here.
I need you, not your medicine or advice.
Presence, not pat answers. Do you see?
Bearing with me. Listening. Hearing.
Trying to know how it feels here.
I need you to look at me, even if
I have to look away.
To be my mirror, reflecting everything but shame.
It’s dark here. But there must be light for reflecting, right?
I need you to bring light to this darkness.
You don’t have to be a hero, a winner, all put-together.
I need to hear you say my name. The name I’m named in my soul.
Whisper it to me. Will you do this? Do you know that name?
Whisper it again ’til you see me turning around. Looking up.
Please, you don’t need to bring me anything.
Empty hands are better to hold.
See? What I need for you to do
is bring God in here, into this empty, dimly lit room.
That’s right. God. The Light where God is.
And the mercy they say shows up in rooms like this.
Will you come and bring those things to me?
I hope only for this.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for sharing so much of yourself, Danny, with so many others.

Carlen
www.carlenmaddux.com
carlen@carlenmaddux.com

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