In Memoriam

I said goodbye to my brother, not long before he died
I wasn’t there to bury him, but ne’er the less I cried

They carried out his coffin, my brothers, without me
They say two hundred people watched, I wasn’t there to see

We argued more than once, his temper worse than mine
But I used to look after him, till he was nearly nine

In teenage years, our roles reversed, though I didn’t know it then
In truth, he was watching over me, since he was nine or ten

Though he outgrew me but little, he was never short of heart
And if ever I landed in a fight, he was there to take my part

There were many times in later years, when I was out on a limb
Those were the times when I wished once more, that I could call on him.

He liked a pint, as Paddys do, and to sing and hear a song
He got into a row or two, but didn’t do much wrong

If there’s a life on the other side, as he believed he’d see
Then he’s somewhere out there looking in, and looking after me.

Dabbler

20/05/2009