Letting Go

we laugh at your baby photos

so like mine that we have to

check our mother’s writing on the back

Alice 70’ or David 72’

playing in the yard with the dog

Tramp, a mutt who walked us to the bus stop

went on all our hikes and loved a good cow pie roll

he lived till we were both in high school

high school  

you were only a year behind me

made our yearbook’s “most likely to succeed”

while I was most definitely

“laziest senior”

See? See what a beautiful life you had? 

photos of brothers - you had so many brothers

fraternity brothers

they made you an honorary member

you couldn’t afford the dues

but were the coolest dude on campus

Army brothers

Alaska, Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Korea, Egypt

WWDD - What Would David Do? bracelets

wise as a serpent, gently as a dove - admiration, respect

Lyons brothers

you all had the same grin

the same giggle

storytelling runs in the blood

See? See what a beautiful life you had? 

family weddings

SO many of us

so much laughter

so much love

a baby! 

now two? who knew!

soccer games, dance recitals

tire swings, bedtime stories

that last flight - retirement 

keys to a new home

a new uniform - Alaska Airlines wings on your lapel

a 2nd honeymoon to Napa wine country

See? See what a beautiful life you had? 

I can feel your eyes  

watching me

so much wisdom, so much patience

waiting for me to realize, 

YOU know you had a beautiful life

the one who needs convincing 

is the one thrusting photos under your nose

all part of letting you go

My delightful little brother. I have never thought of him in those terms, as he was always wiser, calmer, smarter, more focused, a fabulous leader, one you turned to for answers. But when death comes to one who was born after you, it is a shock to the system. The wrongness of it lingers in every context. It changes relationships, changes how you see your own life, changes your sense of time.