Aphasia is loss of ability to understand or express speech, caused by brain damage, usually from dementia or stroke.
Edward Lee, Wonderland (Website)
Photograph
Courtesy of the artist
The saltines are in the pansy.
I hand her a plate, a sleeve,
a pat of butter. She says today
is God, good, gorgeous and sits
at the table, spreads butter
over each square. My mother spools
the helictical memories from other
memories, calls me
sister sister
I say daughter and she says
you’re Jo’s daughter, my grandmother
long dead. The forest of her
memory continues its smolder
and she says Lorie, Carol, sister
again. I answer to finger snaps
and sighs, wash the plate, the knife,
wipe the crumbs, other
names from her mouth.