Marriage, his penmanship was strong and
Flowing; beautiful, unlike my sloppy style.
But as he aged, his writing suffered.
It was still legible, but jerky and no
Longer in a straight line.
Finally, when dementia took hold,
Neither of us could interpret his
Scribbles.
I can look at his notes now and recognize what
Stage of life he was in simply by observing
His handwriting.
Seeing the deterioration was agonizing for
Both of us.
But today when I looked at the last anniversary
Card he gave me, when he was able to
Manage only a few random scratches,
I was able to read between the lines and
Decipher love.