That Little Brother!
He was young
too young
full of life
adventure and
mystery
Just a boy
barely a teen
member of the
football team.
Climbing trees
running and digging
in the fields
he loved.
Handsome he was
for just a boy
a true Ladies Man.
My Little Brother
he was.
Until that girl
blonde and pretty
she was
She came from
another town
excitement prevailed.
never a smile
never a laugh
never even
an acknowledgment
just too quiet
she was.
Summer turned
into fall
which then
turned into winter.
All that time
they stayed together
whether they had to hitch hike
to see one another.
That following spring
not only did the flowers bloom
and ripen
the blonde girl's form
did also.
That summer
my little brother
beat me
into parenthood.
Oh my! That was quite the cliffhanger! From the first line's use of the past tense, I was worried that this poem was going to be about death.There's lots to like here, of course. I'm a big fan of the repetition of variations on how he is little, young, just a boy, etc. This tells me quite a bit about the speaker. However, once I get to the end, I lose track of the tone. What drives the last line? Is it just a statement? Or is there jealousy that the little brother has achieved parenthood before this speaker we now know to be childless? Good one.
ReplyDeleteYes the speaker is a little jealous and childless. I couldn't think of anything to write about that was unexpected other than this. So I wrote from experience
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