My Brother, David
Do you remember
bleach-blond David?
Hair becoming green from the potent chlorine?
Boyhood David
Athletic-swimmer David?
Anchor of the dream team relay
Baseball-jersey-all-year-long David?
Touchdown, homerun, all-star David.
Still get glimpses of reckless David
unfazed-by-limits David
tackled-a-kid-in-third-grade-for-calling-our-mama-ugly David,
bought-a-dog-without-anyone’s-permission David.
“Hey, dad”
called three-year-old David
no-fears David
already travelling down the steep hill
on my scooter, David.
No helmet, no knee pads
Daredevil David.
You’ll need patience for mouthy David.
Anti-authority David.
Walked out of Spanish class because she wouldn’t let him piss –
ISS-once-a-year David.
Unplugged the teacher’s minifridge –
poke-the-bear David.
Sweating rivers, dusk to dawn
‘cause he’s hard working, that David.
Skoal cans in the truck bed
trying-to-kick-the-habit David
Daring David
Speak-up-for-the-weak David
Named for our granddaddy, David.
Not too cool to teach Bible school
Friend-to-the-friendless David.
God-fearing David
My brother, David