I know your face,
I know where you came from, who you belong to,
Your age, profession,
I know all the memories we have had,
The good times and the bad,
I know everything you know.

I can hear what you are saying,
I can understand everything you are saying,
But I can’t let the words out,
I can’t recognize you.

As you sit and talk to me,
Watch me through the night,
There’s one thing on my mind,
And it’s that I can’t reach out to you
And thank you, or even hold a conversation with you,
Like we always did.

You’re someone a mother or grandmother could never forget,
Inside I’m crying and yearning to tell you that I know who you are.
But on the outside, it’s as if you never were a part of my life,
And we are meeting for the first time.

Don’t leave me, you say,
Remember me, I’m your daughter.
Remember me, I’m your granddaughter.
Remember me, I’m your son,
Remember me, I’m your sister, brother,cousin,
Your nephew, your niece.

I know. I know who you are,
Stop telling me who you are or why you’re here,
I know these things.
On the outside, I know nothing.
I can’t express to you how much I want to show you I know everything,
On the outside, I am nothing.

It kills me that I can’t just speak,
Say what I want, do what I want,
Inside I’m screaming, crying, kicking,
I want out of this. I want the life I had where I could
Speak and function just as you are.
I don’t want this pain on you,
I wish you could see that
Deep inside I know you.
And I always will.