My Brother, My Sister Poem by Irma Goo

I live for the moments of joy
As seldom as they are
Allow me to describe the joys I've experienced thus far

My sister looked in the mirror and remarked that her hair looked like fire

While I sat in the kitchen making coffee to share with her from a broken machine

She smiled at me, grabbed the mug and leaned

Upon my shoulder. How is it that her head heavy like a boulder

Can have the great power of lightening my mood and soothing my worries

You know of my anxieties, kept catalogued in folders

They are immense

Increasingly dense

My brother. Outside. Perched on the fence

Balancing between adulthood and adolescence

It's a joy to watch him discover

All the joys the world has to offer

Yet it pains me, because as plain as the blue sky. I can see he is just like me

Reluctant to accept happiness with ease

And although it hurts me, it's such a relief

To see that there are others who also struggle to breathe

That I am not alone in my sorrow so bottled

Deep in the ocean pacific, throttled

Nestled amongst the coral and fish


I do not wish for the chance to be rich

Only for the chance to exist

To no longer resist

From the joys of the world

This life that I was so forcefully hurled

Into, onto, sideways, over and under

Backwards, forwards, thrown asunder

Searching for my other half

Foraging for my last laugh

Rummaging through

Me and you

My brother, please
Don't look to me

As an example to follow
Lest you be left
drowning
in seas full of sorrow