For My Brother (Baby)

When my brother turned 18, he became someone else. I realized it was goodbye and hello.

My brother turned 18 today and what does he buy? Cigarillos-White Grape-Swisher Sweets.  What a reason to wake up at 6am, On your birthday. Oh, and he bought his first (Legal) pack of cigarettes, too.  Blew smoke in my face backing out of the drive. I stood in disbelief.  Not at the cigars, Or the cigarettes, Or smoke. Or even that s**t he pulled at 6am. But at the fact that, now, This (baby) brother Is deemed, by society, An adult.

Author's Note

I just want a general impression. Trying to capture one feeling at one time, a realization, or an epiphany. I try to achieve this in most of my poetry.

Reviews

[Kelsey Schadt]

Short but powerful. I love how the last stanza ties in all the ideas from the other stanza. Your poetry reminds me of the style of Michele Serros--relatable, easy to read and personal. You create an excellent voice through our use of parenthesis and minimalist detail. Too often we rely heavily on adjectives to create vivid images, but you effectively did so without. Well done.