For Mark

For when my brother dies,
I shall cry tears of stone,
Never will I have felt so alone
And my heart will try to be hard.

For when my brother dies,
No more late-night Monopoly and after
Bacon and eggs with a cup of laughter,
The yolk of dawn just breaking.

For when my brother dies,
I shall cry a city of tears
Then put on a smile, hide all my fears,
if only I could, if only.

For when my brother dies,
No more hate and family spite,
Now I’m fine, everything’s all right
But I will miss the making up.

For when my brother dies,
I shall cry blades of grass,
People will be polite, dare not ask
Why my garden overgrows.

For when my brother dies
I shall have no other brother,
No other to hug and to hold
And I the younger
am the one who will grow old.

Copyright: from May the Angels be With Us (Shrosshire County Council, 1995), copyright © Andrew Fusek Peters and Polly Peters 1995, used by permission of the authors

More about this poem

Andrew Fusek Peters (b. 1965) and Polly Peters (b. 1965) have written and edited more than 45 books, in many genres including poetry, ...

Learn more

Explore Similar Poems

By Tags

Close