“Forget Me Not” by Thomas Ong

What inspired you to write this poem? 

Thomas: When inspirations come, the words flow easily into my poems, a niche which is often inspired by the various aspects and outlooks of dementia. One of my initial poems is “Face of Dementia”. This is followed by another passionate poem of mine called “Forget Me Not” inspired by my understanding of the importance of memory and its eventual loss as we age and now with the diagnosis. It is an aspect of life that often haunts me as I keep forgetting names, faces, events and things.  

I was afraid that events, friends and people would be forgotten. So I penned these into poetic verses with the theme “Forget Me Not”. Ideas and words seemed to flood easily into my mind which I swiftly wrote down. I restricted each stanza of my poem to four lines enjoying the fast and smooth flow of words that rhyme easily. The gist and context for the poem came readily and unequivocally easily as I tapped on my knowledge and experiences of dementia. 

A very important message that I wanted to share is that people with dementia like me should not be forgotten or left out. I am a person and would like to be treated with love and respect like one and be given the opportunity to live a full active and rewarding life in spite of having dementia. 

What does the phrase “forget me not” mean to you? 

Thomas: “Forget me not” for me holds a very special meaning. I like to be remembered, be known, and accepted as a warm-hearted, loving, caring member of society living a fruitful life, contributing to the progress and success of society. I would like society not to forget me even when I am not able to perform as well as expected, and also when I have passed my days of positive contribution and exhibiting forgetfulness.  

I would like to be remembered for my achievements and contributions towards making society successful and fruitful. 

To many of my family, friends and people whom I may forget, I would like firstly to express appreciation and love for them and appeal for their understanding and care when dementia overtakes me. To society in general, please be kind and considerate if and when I am not able to reciprocate and respond to your attention. 

As a person with dementia, what is important to me right now is to take hold of my life, know that there is much I can do both for myself and for society. I should be positive, know that in spite of dementia and its impediments, I can look for new things to do and to achieve. I should also plan and set a timetable for future activities using the SMART maxim.   

What about writing do you enjoy? 

Thomas: Searching for, creating and leading interesting activities satisfies my ever inquisitive and creative mind and soul. I am very much involved in and affected by these activities. Among the activities that I enjoy and found peace and ease with is expressing my thoughts and feelings in words and writing.  

Writing is something I do regularly: putting into words my thoughts, aspirations and inspirations. It gives me much pleasure and a sense of achievement in vividly, visibly, and succinctly presenting the ideas in physical words. I enjoy and treasure these wonderful feelings of achievement. It is also a way of giving my ever-inquisitive and voracious mind a wide range of challenges which seek smooth, succinct, sequential and understandably successful and gratifying written solutions.  

Writing also challenges my brain to search, recall and create more images, ideas, plans and solutions to the problems presented. It is also a natural follow-up action to inspirations and thoughts which often invade my mind with all sorts of visions, ideas, plans, dreams and solutions. It gives much satisfaction. 

Many of these inspirations and thoughts are important situations and occasions that need to be written down for posterity. These pieces of writing can be in the form of stories, poems, anecdotes or even diaries. I feel and enjoy the beauty and enchantment the way the written language is used to describe these unique environments.