I must warn everyone that this experience was the most shocking to me. It's a personal event that happened a few months before my bothers death, when he went missing.
Went Missing
The phone rang one day at work;
It split the silence, made me jerk,
While I was cross-stitching some
Ornaments, my brothers doctor it was from.
Her voice was urgent, my hands went cold,
He missed his appointment, I was told.
I felt my stomach tighten, my mouth was dry,
My brain was screaming, "This is it, now don't cry!"
My free hand reflexively reached for the box;
The tissues, just out of reach, causing a few knocks,
As I bumped a few things out of the way,
My thoughts were racing, "Where is he?", that day.
The sun was quickly fading, almost out of view.
"Talk, say something, ask the doctor what I should do?"
She spent some 30 minutes of her already overtaxed time;
Talking to me as I pulled myself together, all on her dime.
She really cared for her patient, my brother;
He wasn't just another xray, file or number.
I asked her if I should report him missing since,
He's an adult, not a child but he might drive into a fence;
On some lonely stretch of road, not knowing where he was,
These were some of the things I was thinking because,
The illness my brother had was stealing him away from me;
The dementia he had was not before shown to us, a mystery.
How long had he quietly suffered in pain, alone?
I stood, then paced inside the office while on the phone.
Who to call first, it must be the sheriff or highway patrol?
I know, I'll call his roommate, he's probably home? Keep control!
Suddenly, I was full of hope again, though guarded,
I couldn't afford the heartache if he was already warded;
Picked up by the highway patrol and in jail for
Swerving while driving, were ideas dancing and more,
The roommate answered, his reply was, "No, I haven't seen him,
He left early this morning." I asked him to call me then,
As the tears started to flow, I told him who called,
What was said and that I had to go, I bawled!
Like I was four years old, all over again,
All of the happy summer days we would spend!
Through thick and thin he was always there for me;
"Now dry those eyes, and dial those numbers!", cheerfully.
Your brother's just missing and maybe there's time, still;
Just don't call your husband yet or you'll lose your will.
So I reported him missing in my county first since,
Here was where I thought he might be headed, made sense;
"Report him first to the county he resides."
Was the reply I got, I said, "Thank you and besides",
I was speaking with the highway patrol, "Aren't I right?"
"If my brother is suffering from dementia, I shouldn't make light",
"This situation is serious, lives are at stake?"
His demeanor changed, "What road do you think he would take?"
I felt my heart clam down and stomach release the tension;
He'll get help soon, "Someone's paying attention!"
I quickly called the sheriff's office for the right county,
They quietly explained he was an adult and had every right to be;
Missing or committing suicide, that's his right;
As my voice quivered, I said, "But not tonight!"
As I explained the situation and calls, I was given
To a detective who knew all about dementia, the non-livin';
All the pleading and begging was over for now;
I would call my boss and my husband, somehow,
Explaining to both that when I got the call,
To my brother I would race, that was all.
Just the very next day, just around two,
The patrolman called to say, "We found him, just like you",
"Said he would be, driving in circles trying to find I77."
I told them thank you and said a prayer of thanks to heaven.
Just a tiny miracle, a personal one at best;
Now I could breathe easier and get some rest.
