I knew a man from whose heart, death had stolen a brother.

I knew a man
From whose heart, death had stolen
A brother.

They never talked.

And the integrity of his structure
Wavered –

Empty spaces were
Room for his collapse;

A cavernous mine shaft
Gave way below his feet,
Acquainting him with the darkness,
Dumping him in the dirt and
Under the debris of guilt.

Old railway sleepers
Came to rest upon him,
Heavy
Like the burden of silence.

I know a man
Facing an impasse
As sheer as the face
Of the bedrock,
But who feels the gift of life
More than ever;

The numbness of regret
Accentuates fond memory,
His brother’s smile
Of yesteryear –

A shimmer of gold
Held aloft
By the cold, hard earth.