Art/Reflection:
This impressionist oil pastel captures a man’s journey with Alzheimer’s disease. The forget-me-not flowers flowing from his body represent the memories and stories that he wants the world to remember, yet struggles to retain. Inspired by the expressive styles of Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, the blurred lines evoke the fluidity and fragility of recollection. Still, the scene is hopeful, and a bright sunset reminds us that even amid fading memories, joy and inspiration endure. This oil pastel depicts the feelings from the following original poem:
Forget Me Not
I once dreamed of growing old with grace.
Silver hair. Warm arms. A house full of faces.
Laughter spilling over dinner plates.
Grandchildren’s embrace.
But now, I sit here in silence.
Now, I am cared for by those I cannot name.
Reaching for memories like piles of leaves in the fall
that rustle in corners, scattered and small.
Fog drapes my mind.
Thoughts drift in and out.
Half-lost.
Fragmented.
Moments, whispers of doubt—
stories I knew, now fading out.
I reach for remembrance. It slips away
lost behind a dark wall where memories stray.
Where do these moments now reside?
Once vivid, now shadows I can’t define.
I try to grasp those golden days,
but they fade like mist in morning haze.
I scream within, a desperate plea:
Please, please, please, forget me not—remember me!
Hold tight to those sweet yesterdays,
for I cannot hold them in the same ways.
I see.
But I cannot touch—
I try so hard. It hurts so much.
Forget me not!
Let my memories live on through you.
My mind has become my quiet defeat.
Thoughts slipping.
Like sand beneath my feet.
A thousand-piece puzzle—
No frame.
Each piece familiar, none with a name.
Fogged-up mirrors stare back at me,
blurry photos of who I used to be.
And when I forget, remember for me.
Hold my hand and help me see.
Keep my stories burning bright.
Forget me not! Please hold me tight!