It was a bad idea from the start.
Madge, a two-time widow,
had only recently moved to her retirement home
and we were visiting.

We went out for a drive,
and Madge wanted to stop by her old house.
We couldn’t come up with a good reason not to
and though dementia was taking her faculties
she was able to direct us pretty easily.
We found work trucks outside.

When Madge got out
she was agitated.
“Who are you?” She cried.
“What are you doing here?”

It took a few minutes
for her daughter-in-law to appear.
Apparently, she and the son were moving in.
Either Madge had forgotten
or hadn’t been informed.

She wasn’t screaming
by the time we left
but she wasn’t comfortable either.

As we drove back
to the facility
her hand was shaking.
I brought my hand over
to cover hers,
to calm it.

When we arrived back
at her place
Madge thanked me
and we got her back to her room
where she could hopefully rest more comfortably.

She did
for a time.