For my brother, on his 25th birthday
Riding on the edge of the bike lanes
Peddaling too fast
To hear me yelling after him
Be careful
Wandering off in the airport
Showing up just in time
Where’s your brother, they ask
And I say it’ll be fine
Trust me
In daycare, I got to say hi to him
Before he took a nap
And in high school
We shared one class
He may have done better than me
Sitting in my bedroom together
While he was still in junior high
He told me I was his best friend
I still remember it
I still remember it
That’s love, I think
After the years I spent hurling abuse
And kicking him out of the TV room
That he paid me back then moved on
We walk and talk about memories
By the water in Door County
The mics are on
A conversation recorded
That may just stay between us
He’s two years younger
But I feel better growing older
With him at my back