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CANE AND ABLE...

INTRO

Two Brothers
Both Smart
Grew up together
But grew apart

Great expectations
Only one succeeds
but it's the greater one
That no one needs

The liar is who
No one doubts
He's left in
while the good's cast out

CANE

As a child
Innocence he got
18 years later
A criminal is not

Started smoking
Looked for answers
What started as a joke
Ended in cancer

As things got worse

He started smoking crack
At 19 years
He never looked back

A heavy drinker
He didn't care to drive
D.U.I.'s
Lucky to be alive

Juvenile lock-up
He was given a guitar
Incarcerated
He received a car

Jailed again
Out of luck
Family says
What's a thousand bucks

No job
Family doesn't care
6 more charges
More money? That's not fair

Charity and lawyers
Shopping spree celebrations
Give him more money
Embracing incarcerations

ABLE

Grew up well
Labeled pathetic
Followed the rules
Everyone's skeptic

Christmas time
Time for brothers' fun
Dad brings one gift
Guess for which son

Birthday boy sits up front
Yelled at by mama
Seems kind of petty
For igniting childhood trauma

Stayed on track
Kept his eye on the prize
Graduated High School
With a 3.5

Summer before College
His life at a point of turning
Last day at home
Before his higher learning

CONCLUSION

The jailbird's released
While college man's about to leave
He's starting his new life
As the doubters can't believe

The criminal's back
Alcohol celebrates his return
The family drinks with him
Some lessons are never learned

The beer runs dry
The drunk criminal leaves for the store
He returns no time soon
Awakens at the hospital door

The criminal is fine
But his manslaughter victim is not
The family chose not to remember
So they soon forgot

Attending the funeral
The family felt obligated
The criminal's victim
Lived a life jaded

The family's thoughts were lost
For they shed no tear
But only thought of their criminal
Thinking what's another beer

As they closed the casket
In the rainy weather
The bad child's oblivious
While the good one's gone forever

Learn more about this author, Tyler Cathey.
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