Defying Groundhog Day

Every night, I lie in bed and think of her, her lost eyes

My heart cries as I see her sitting alone

Staring vacantly out the window at the bird feeder

The bitter truth is

The things she forgets are the banal moments

Her days have become groundhog, so is it so bad to not realise that she is in that cycle?

The things that matter she still remembers

The time when she was 8 and had laughter with passing soldiers

Playing pranks on those same soldiers with the cheeky grin that’s never left her

When she nearly ended up in Canada to stay safe

Sharing sweets with the best friend she loved and lost

She remembers mum when she was just a foot tall

She remembers me when I could only utter the odd word

She remembers my brother when he had the cheekiest grin, and the brightest laugh

She may even remember better than we all do

Its funny how that works

Laughter is the best medicine she tells me

This is something I now believe wholeheartedly

As every time I see her I see it in action

She makes me laugh

She helps me understand life

She respects me

She builds me up

Strength, endless strength

Smile, the smile it never leaves her

Leaving her breaks me,

But seeing her break, hurts me.

Reality, she isn’t broken

Just stuck on the rewind button

She’s still here

She’s still with me

She’s one of the lucky ones

I’m one of the lucky ones

We’re one of the lucky ones

People ask how is she doing?

I simply answer she is in a battle against groundhog day, And get this she is winning.

- Words by Kirsty Taylor and Photography by Natalia Paklikowska and Sophie Gray.