Reflection #6: Alzheimer's by Kelly Cherry

This poem tells about an old man who after been in the hospital, maybe because the doctors were doing some physical analysis to him because of his Alzheimer, returns to his house as Kelly Cherry describes. Kelly uses a simile to compare the old man’s mind with the suitcase he is carrying in his hand insinuating the old man is confused. As he is at the house’s door, Kelly describes his surrounding atmosphere. By the descriptions she uses to define the place, one could think the poem take place in a rural territory because there are flowers, roses, bushes and other types of small forest around the place. The old man recognize his house, the walkway he built, his car, even his past life, when he was young, his passion for the music. He dedicated part of his life to the music, but now there’s something more important or urgent as Kelly describe. His illness, as a normal effect or the Alzheimer, don’t let him recognize the old woman standing in front of the door which, maybe, could be his own wife. The poem is written in open form and contains some literary elements like similes and metaphors. An example of a simile is when Kelly writes “his mind rattling like the suitcase, swinging from his hand…” and one example of a metaphor is when she also writes “While the white wood trim defines solidity in space”. When she uses white wood, she refers to tulip trees, and other types of small trees which sound logical because at that moment she is describing an area out the house with flowers.