Elizabeth Tannen's essays, stories and poems have appeared in places like Salon, The Morning News, Front Porch, BODY Literature, and Burrow Press Review. She's currently working to finish revising her memoir manuscript, rewrite a novel draft, and compose a weekly poem. This essay is adapted from her memoir-in-progress, called Close. She also posts on her blog, Dating in the Odyssey Years.
Hoping to gain some insight into the nature of love and family, Elizabeth Tannen begins to visit the elderly woman who was once like a grandmother to her and who now has Alzheimer's.