생일 축하 합니다, brotha!

Today was an emotional day at work: a colleague has to fly back home for a few weeks to be close to her mother, who is battling cancer and is soon to undergo chemo treatment. It is a very unsettling time for her, as she of course wants to be as close to her relatives as possible but... traveling across continents, and maintaining her own affairs in order, is no easy feat. It is hard to know that someone you like is faced with such a life-altering event yet know that there is not much you can do to help ease her pain. My thoughts go out to that person.

It also got me thinking about my OWN family.

Tomorrow is my brother's birthday. I love the guy very much.

I thought about my colleague's present plight and thought that maybe a birthday is a good occasion to remind one's family that they MEAN A LOT to, uh, oneself.

I usually like to use quotes. I'm not always very eloquent, so borrowing words from others often seems more appropriate. I googled "brother" and "quotes" and found just the right words to express how tight our relationship is...

.

"Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet."

Vietnamese Proverb

But, of course, then I got to thinking. If I keep my hands clean…and my feet stink at the end of the day…. What does that mean?
No good. Not enough feeling.

.
So I wrote a poem.
.
.
blind as a bat
never thinks about that
(he cooks eggs …
but I mop up the coffee)
still
strong as tongs
tackling boiling water

one year older today
greying at the top
the cat still saunters away
when he crosses her path

one year older…
yesterday a kid - - somehow
today
a man

Bah! WHATEVER! You’re still MY little brother.


There! Nailed it.
Joyeux anniversaire François!
xox