Baby Brother

for James

I wish I was there for you

When it all went sour

And four years later

I regret that final hour

Where fists were thrown

And trust was blown

In the fight for power

 

I wish I’d seen you graduate

And walk with all your friends

Instead I was home alone

Struggling with my pens

To find the words

You should have heard

When it all neared the end

 

I wish I could have grieved

But there was never time

Life keeps pressing on

And there are mountains to climb

But despite my unshed tears

And the ever passing years

Memories will always be mine

 

I remember taking care

Of that boy who wouldn’t speak

Translating his signs

Wrapped in such mystique

That no one understood

But sis and I would

Where mom and dad fell weak.

I remember teaching you

So you’d be top of your class

Your teachers were impressed

Of how quickly you surpassed

Your rather average peers,

Even though they jeered

And gave you lots of sass.

 

You were my baby brother

Always that infant wrapped in blue

I wish that in my future

You’d be standing with me too

But you can’t undo the past

And life goes by so fast

And baby brother- I miss you.

 

4-1-13