The Monster

A beast slumbers in the mind,

Undisturbed for decades.

It will stir in moments of

Misplaced car keys or why you walked into a room.

Gaps in memory shrugged at and excused.

But one day the beast will open its eyes

And start its attack.

You don’t realize that it’s started its siege while

Names escape your grasp and words remain on the tip of your tongue.

It chews on the synapses and disrupts thought.

Day by day recollections slip out of reach.

Worried faces you don't recognize ask questions you can't recall.

But the monster isn't content with feasting on the mind.

It moves to the body.

You forget to eat, forget to drink

Shutting everything down

While you remain oblivious.

It destroys and razes

Unraveling what makes you who you are.

And the most tragic part is

You don’t know that you're forgetting.