*

*

Gait apraxia.

Two new words have sneaked into our house.

Commonly seen in vascular dementia,

gait apraxia

is that shuffling walk

as if feet are stuck to the floor.

*

The neurologist tossed the two words

into the air, casually,

but I caught them phonetically

in my notebook

and looked them up later.

*

No cues or modeling or suggestions help.

He can’t change how he moves,

so says Sciencedirect.com

We go for walks, and he shuffles along

behind me.

*

Before gait apraxia came in the door,

I would say,

“This isn’t exercise!  Walk faster!”

“I can walk you into the ground,”

he’d reply,

lagging further behind.

*

Gait apraxia isn’t alone

in taking up residence.

We have anxiety

wringing its hands in the corner.

We have incontinence in paper diapers,

hanging around the bathroom.

But table manners left for the south,

forgetting to close the door.