My Brother

My Brother

My dear brother,

You are a bully,

You’re a tyrannical tormentor

A Totalitarian Taskmaster

A parasite prospering in my pain,

And seeking satisfaction in my sorrow.

I used to ask why I was your punching bag.

Why everyday was a new start to the same war

Why no matter how many times you punched me in the stomach

It never satisfied your hunger for more.

I remember you would take me down to the basement,

And blast music to cover the screaming.

With each beat came beatings,

And each bass drop a drop a of the fist.

You punched me, you choked me,

And you made me feel small.

You kept me chained to the wall.

Each link engraved with your sins.

But no matter how many one sided fights we had,

You could never win.

No matter how how much skin you turned purple,

No matter how many bones you broke,

You could never break my spirit.

The pain that blurred, put the world into focus,

The chains that held me were broken free.

The instruments of my pain became the weapons of your destruction.

You, my brother, may be five years ahead, but you're six steps behind.

Six, Six, Six years it’s been,

The war is over, the beatings are gone, gone but not forgotten

But the pain hasn’t ended and the nightmare drags on.
I see your anger, anger everywhere I go,

I feel it build inside me, and hope it won’t blow

I see your eyes in my reflection, reflection of what has been and what might be

I’m afraid I have no choice,

That one day I’ll wake up and only hear your voice.

I overcame your abuse

I overcame your hate

My body took the pain, the pain isn’t in the skin, it’s in the soul

I’m still mad, I never stopped, you never stopped, what would happen if my heart just stopped?

I fought you, now it’s time to fight myself.

By: John Hocher