Like it Is/Was

About the Book

In over one hundred poems, Bill Sweigard recounts the last heart-wrenching years of life with his beloved wife, Livia, as she battles Alzheimer´s. Often times poignant, these poems depict small day-to-day battles the couple faces as Bill watches and cares for Livia. Moments of hope where Livia can remember a word of phrase are often dashed with entire blackouts of memory and awareness, but through it all Bill sticks by Livia´s side as she slips into the abyss of her own mind, eventually succumbing to the disease.

About the Author

The war was over for a year when I met Livia Rooleht, an Estonian citi zen. I had been discharged from the US Army Air Force in October 1945. I had originally enlisted right out of high school to be a pilot. It was not to be because there were too many of us. Aft er basic I was sent to Photolab School and when the war was over in 1945 I was discharged. This was an early discharge even before anyone came back from Germany or Japan. I got a job on the railroad as a freight hustler and worked my way up to yard clerk. By January 1946 former employees returned from the war and got their previous jobs back. I was let out so I decided to reenlist and chose Germany. I arrived in Schlangenbad, Germany in April, 1946 and was assigned to the 924th Aviati on Engineers batt alion.