I wrote only one poem during my stint as an Alzheimer’s caregiver. Most of my writings were either straightforward recountings of my days with my mother as she unlearned things (finding her way home, tying her shoelaces) or analyses of lessons I learned from our time together.

Having read “Aperture” by Wally Swist of South Hadley, I appreciate the ways in which poetry can distill events and emotions. The poems in the book sum up the trajectory of Swist’s relationship with his life partner, Tevis, as she moves from moments of confusion to full-on memory loss.

Many of the poems are in the second person, referring to Tevis as “you.” This practice centers her continuing humanity.

The pair spend a lot of time in nature. Even toward the end of the book, when Tevis has little memory left and cannot find words or remember routines, nature and visual stimuli retain the power to move her and to ground her in the present.

That present may not last for her, but it is generally meaningful when she is in it, thanks to Swist’s careful persistence in meeting her where she is.

The poet is frank about his moments of sadness and despair but never gives up on his connection with the person he loves. His words moved me to tears several times as I read.

My favorite poem, because it rings so true to my own experience, is called “Caregiver.” In it, Swist describes the odd dance of the Alzheimer’s caregiver, living a life in which it is important to plan — structure is essential for both parties — but also crucial to know when to let go of the plan.

“Recognize all the good, especially at bad times,” he writes. “It’s hard to achieve: being in the moment. In times of distress be gracious: See each other. Take a breath. Open your heart. Practice kindness.”

I have long felt that the Alzheimer’s patient and his or her caregiver go through what we all eventually go through in our lives in abbreviated form — a loosening of life’s hold on us — although paradoxically that abbreviated form can seem to endure forever.

Through his poetry and his caregiving, Wally Swist models not just the best way for a caregiver to live, but the best way for all of us to live. Seek out meaningful moments. Never give up on love. And above all practice kindness, to those we love and also to ourselves.

“Aperture” by Wally Swist is available online and via the publisher, Kelsay Books.

Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.