by Denis Scott

Created on: March 02, 2009   Last Updated: November 16, 2009

Who is this man, my Brother?

Who is this man, my Brother?

What kind of man is he?

He is a man like no other

And thankfully,

He's not a bit like me.

His nature is kind and friendly,

He wears his heart on his sleeve.

How different, yet we came

From the same warm mini-universe,

Into a bleak, hard, black, grimy world.

I was not the first;

That honor went to my sister.

She was beautiful, of course.

My Brother, who came out third

Bawling and screaming,

Creating beauty as he poured

From our Mother's, warm,

Safe, nourishing womb.

Blond, curly hair

Such eyes, so blue,

That captured not only the light

But our hearts too.

This man, a carpenter by trade,

To become a cabinet maker he'd aspire.

An artisan of great renown.

He worked wood

As if it was clay,

Creating it to his inner desire.

To get the measure of a man

To his leisure time you looked.

But his needs were basic you see.

He had his wife to provide his music,

His daughter to read to.

His grandchildren filled his world;

He was content just to be.

He would need this gift of peace later.

He will not be with us long,

This Brother of mine,

Blood of my blood,

To whom I cling.

Hopelessly?

God, no! no! no!

He never went down the pit,

For Mam and Dad

Scrimped and struggled

And swore that the pit

Would not claim their boys.

Did you know

Mesothelioma is incurable?

Hospice and McMillan saviors;

Angels working in daylight.

Helping to accommodate

Debilitating chemo,

Adjusting meds,

Fighting the good fight.

Hope strengthens troubled hearts,

But oh!

The heart aches

All through the day and night.

So many questions

Asked often, angrily.

Why Dad?

Why my grand father?

Why? Why?

Why for God's sake?

There is a way he found

This man, my brother,

That we are bound

By heart-breaking love

For always and ever.

How long?

No one knows.

Is there a moral here?

Of course.

It is all about love,

Heart binding love,

Eternal love,

God's Love.

And Even a Brother's love.

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