Being a big boy from the start, my younger brother became the hero
to watch out for the frailer brother with the taunting bravado
gaining a reputation for fixing — liking that reputation a lot.
Built up his savings, to ensure helping his kids when he was gone
but Wall Street came to a precipice; so too his effort to be a full time Grandpa.
his back damaged by years of over-time fixing; his hero image dimmed.
Broken mirrors distort the view
Bro’s Grandsons were rowdy by nature; schools closed; daughter was overwhelmed;
Bro invited the boys to stay for the Summer, parks and back yard projects made it great
for a while.
The stock market is unstable, his investments are tenuous, steep losses are ugly.
How to fix it?
Temporary fixes in vape pens and such
Voices sound like Mom sometimes
driving him to hold on, but . . .
Broken Mirrors Distort
Sells off investments; and Grand-kids go back to their Mom and Dad
Spends the money the way Mom would have, if she had ever had a nest-egg.
Revived his yard; new fence for him, another for the struggling neighbor
Backaches prohibit mowing his own; hires neighborhood guys who need the work
Cut my yard, and cut that neighbor’s, and those neighbors too.
But his efforts somehow don’t measure up — hasn’t fixed the world, yet.
Needing a better mirror!
by Nancy Ann Smith, Amherst, Ohio
June 27, 2020 Poetry Marathon
Wow! He tries so hard to fix everything and continues when he can’t be the one. Courageous person you wrote about. You really brought him to life.
I am glad his generous spirit came through. Thank you for commenting.