your brother was
once a wolf
whimsically
shredding skin
to shape
your smile

while some small
scurrying creature
spoke of hearts
and borrowed imagination
(before burrowing
to safety)

you
you were a deer
in the face of hunters

your widened eyes
once breathed
salt & smoke
’til insides released
like birds
from someone’s ceiling

while long-eared lapin
confused & laughing
applauding an almost empty room
(should have) exclaimed
"don’t do the bleeding
for the both of us!"

you
you were a ghost
making jokes about demise

your years
once collected & described
became a lifetime
still
change was never promised
to the both of us

while I’m the same
sorry rabbit
shivering
in the tall grass
(eyes aglow
with admiration)

you
you are a bear