Brother, when you--

do you remember when we used to role cigarettes for each other?
remember our backs up against the wall of the world,
looking out over bikes tinkering and the chatter of every fair dame?
man, the days we spent jawing for more of what dreamed.
we smashed sunflower seeds and spit to get more talking done.
and I always knew you were my brother.

do you remember that spot?
where we met daily to swap laughter.
remember when we leaned, weight one footed,
towards the wall?
we stood for so long, the grass grew around our boots
and we left our prints where we stood.

God, the things we saw, brother.
i watched you struggle to let your heart out,
you watched me shred mine.
you watched me shake my pride out
and ring the joy from my eyes.
i saw you try,
try, try try try try try try try try try try
try try try try try try
try so hard to save everyone around you.
i saw, from sideways glances, the effort you made,
the amount of strength it took for you to stay.
...
brother, do you remember that one day?
the day you------? do you?
...
remember that spot where everything seemed to grow between us?
brother,
do you remember?
because as far as these eyes see,
all that bustled and shuffled on that corner,
by that wall, where we used to lean on each other,
all that shifted between us,
all that we watched outside of us....

it all left when you left.
brother, it left when you left.

Photo by Sadie Myers. Words by Jordan Shappell.