He does not eat his apple the way I would—
a row of bites around the middle, the top, the bottom,
then turning the white until a slender spool is left.
He eats randomly—a chunk nearly catching the stem,
another from the opposite side.
He spits out the parts he can’t chew.
His hands get sticky with juice.
When he doesn’t find anything left to bite,
he looks up and smiles,
“That’s a good world.”

16 comments
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July 12, 2012 at 7:05 pm
Susan L Daniels
AWESOME! Anarchistic eating, and so joyful doing it!
July 12, 2012 at 11:17 pm
Karin Wiberg
I love that description, Susan–”anarchistic”!
July 12, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Susan L Daniels
July 12, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Susan L Daniels
Have you seen the Alzheimer’s poetry on my blog that deal with my mother’s illness? You might find them helpful.
July 12, 2012 at 11:25 pm
Karin Wiberg
I don’t think I have, but I will be sure to look. Thanks, Susan!
July 12, 2012 at 11:26 pm
Susan L Daniels
here–I just copied this for Casey:
http://susandanielseden.wordpress.com/tag/alzheimers/
July 12, 2012 at 7:33 pm
pb2
Makes me cry…
July 12, 2012 at 11:20 pm
Karin Wiberg
Laugh-Cry. Two sides of the same coin, right? Sigh.
July 12, 2012 at 8:50 pm
caseykurlander
This is beautiful. I lived with and took care of my grandma for about a year and a half when she started showing the early signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia. I have written about my experiences in several blog posts if anyone wants to check them out:
http://caseykurlander.wordpress.com/category/grandma/
Thanks,
Casey
July 12, 2012 at 11:23 pm
Karin Wiberg
Casey – Thanks so much for sharing. Dealing with a Alzheimer’s certainly brings a different perspective–and lots of stories. I will have to try to capture more of them.
July 12, 2012 at 11:58 pm
Mary MacGowan
wow, great poem!
July 13, 2012 at 7:20 am
Karin Wiberg
Thanks, Mary!
July 14, 2012 at 9:09 am
Jeremy Nathan Marks
I really like the last line very much, especially the way it seems to wrap everything back up in the apple itself. Or, also in the way your father experiences the apple. Two worlds/ one world. I like the way they overlap (or are one and the same). This is lovely.
July 14, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Karin Wiberg
Thank you, Jeremy. I like your description very much.
July 15, 2012 at 6:13 pm
charlesgupton
Delicious imagery!
July 15, 2012 at 11:18 pm
Karin Wiberg
Charles – I’m trying to decide if I should say “Thank you” or “Har-Har” or both!!
Glad you stopped by!