This was just published by the Loyalhanna Review.
Your Birthday Would Be This Week
Just past the tunnel
the road rises,
and from its crest
I see the lights
of an entire city
shine like memories
of a life left.
When did we last
really talk,
my brother and I?
Even here,
we settle into roles
enshrined by childhood.
You play the tough guy
in a bad B movie,
and I become
the simpering sidekick.
Our patter is so to script
we manage not to mention
the hospice team,
the feeding tube
and morphine drip
that keep your heart
barely beating.
It is nearly morning
when I reach the turnpike
and the road
seems suddenly unfamiliar.
It is only then I realize
the lights of the city
have gone out.
Beautiful and poignant, Steve.
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