Tag: love

By the Tome I Got There

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Haibun, Poetry1 Comment 
It's the sad truth. Look through any family photo album and you'll find a bazillion pictures of the first born child. Their first haircut, first lost tooth, first Christmas or first time pooping in the potty chair. But with each child born, the amount of photos begin to dwindle. Until that last child almost becomes invisible. It's not our fault, they say repetition stifles imagination.
So, being the next to the youngest in my family of 15. I grew up in the shadows of my brothers and sisters. It's like my entire life was an afterthought. At family gatherings, the conversations would always center around tales of—do you remember that time—like I was suppose to know what went on fifeteen years before I was born.
I wore clothes that were not mine but leftovers from some one elses lifetime. When I looked through the family photo albums all I saw were faces of children I never knew. Even my parents were worn down shells of those frolicking thirty somethings I saw in those pictures.
from isn't that too cute
 to eh been there and done that—
first born versus last

Some Things Never Change

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Free Verse, Poetry1 Comment 

Hell, I never thought I’d
make it through the seventies
let alone eighties or nineties

now it’s a quarter past
the turn of a new century
and it still feels 
like I’m dreaming

still wondering which path to take
which road to travel.
Too scared to take a breath
afraid it will all unravel

Two Simple Graves

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Poetry, Rhyming1 Comment 
I visit them in silent repose,
their memories float on whispered breath.
Bringing the delight of days now gone,
I do not feel the sorrow of death.

Here I can still see her loving smile,
feel her spirit fill my heart again.
I see his eyes dance as laughter spills,
and tobacco stains his grizzled chin.
 
I’m with him once more in darkened woods,
as favored dogs run o’er creek and hill.
The taste of port wine upon our lips,
we’ll drink until we have had our fill.

I return to her comforting arms,
upon my brow I can feel her kiss.
I let all my troubles fade away,
to be replaced with a peaceful bliss.

They’re nothing more than two simple graves,
no different from any other.
But these two hold all the memories,
of my cherished father and mother.

Skipo

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Haibun, Poetry2 Comments 
An empty penut butter jar, a saltine cracker box, and some Orange Crush cans sit in the trash. An old worn leather recliner in the corner by the window. The wall mounted TV stuck on Gunsmoke. The wrinkle free bed covers tucked in tight. A small dog lays at the foot of the bed and looks longingly at the door. Everything in place—except you.
I'm here
you're not—
sadness

Please Stay With Me

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Poetry, Rhyming1 Comment

She stared at the pictures and all,
the memories came rushing in.
She knows these faces of children,
and remembers her life again.

Once again she heard their laughter,
like before her life fell apart.
A tear of joy streaked her soft cheek,
as she felt their love fill her heart.

It is all the warmth she can feel,
as her grandchildren hug her deep.
The light on their face as they smiled,
these memories she vows to keep.

A light twinkles in her grey eyes,
a gentle smile slips ‘cross her face.
For just a few moments she is,
back in her family’s embrace.

The light begins to peel away,
her mind fades back to submission.
Please stay she begs, to no avail,
cause her memories won’t listen.