Moriah's Reflections

A Snickers and a lemon soda
after every chemotherapy.
The pain my brother attained
never seemed to be fair to me.
Josh has cancer.
Blood cells from hell
rebel like black panthers.
Prancing on hollow surface with
souls colder than tap dancers.
Mom just wants answers,
Josh wants to get older.
All I want is my snickers and a cold lemon soda..
50 dollars a shot.
I’m not talking drinking Jack,
but about needles invading,
penetrating, into my brother’s back.
I learned to be grateful
for what I have that others lack,
because here my brother’s dying
and my life is still in tact.
Claustrophobia sets in
as my parents are surrounded by the facts.
All I cared about was leaving
so I could go and get my snacks.
I asked mom for a haircut
so that Josh and I could match.
He was still big brother,
so we were attached like a patch
cut from the same mold.
It started getting cold
and Josh was bald by now
so he’d adapt to wearing hats.
I was young but followed rules.
It wasn’t cool to miss school,
so my mother lied and said there was none that day
so I wouldn’t have the blues.
But when we drove passed,
my friend was walking to class
and my tears grew as glossy
as freshly polished glass.
He was at a crucial age,
as I was missing only days,
he missed the whole second grade.
But as a way to aid against this plague
his classmates made plays
that he could play throughout his stay.
As he cherished everyday,
he perished in his weight.
My parents perished from the wait,
Josh would share with me his toys.
They were praying they wouldn’t have to
hold a wake for their boy.
Each day he would awake
they would gain an ounce of joy,
that God’s angel of death
had not yet been deployed.
After 5 years he was healed.
It couldn’t have happened quicker.
It was all in God’s timing,
He showed He is a listener.
Josh is 23 now.
Got the weight back and getting bigger.
And I’m still addicted to my lemon soda
and my Snickers.