MY BROTHER

Speak of the man,
not of the sin.
When you speak of my brother,
speak only of him.

Speak of the brimming lights,
speak of the jarring stage.
How they laid waste of his love,
how they lay waste of his age.
Speak of the words he sang
as he sat in his golden cage.

Should the night ever fall on my eyes
and I lose sight of my brother’s ways,
Find me and speak to me,
tell me of my brother’s days.
Lift me like my brother’s arm,
as if his hands were in your place.

Speak of his earthly designs,
speak of his lover, of his kin.
Speak of the nights that kept him awake,
of the soil that colors his skin.

Should you ever utter his name
speak of only one thing.
When you speak of my brother,
speak only of him.