What’s A Week Between Siblings

(Brother and sister banter through the years)

fifty one weeks my junior
memories of you
filter through and often
grief mercifully softens
with time passing

i can smile now
as you and your sense of
humour
are never that far away

today is your birthday
and for a whole week you
will have caught up with me
only for seven days though shrimp
my impish response
for as long as i can remember

these seven days
have playfully been part of
our birthday banter for years
i don’t see it ever changing
even though you are no longer here
to humour me

happy heavenly birthday
much missed Steve

Reviews

[yorkie]

as someone who has lost a few friends this last couple of years I feel that this speaks not just to me but to others as well

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much yorkie for stopping by to share your thoughts. Much appreciated.

Chris

[Einstein Noodle]

nice work, Chris .. as always your poetry touches me and this one warms my heart .. what a wonderful yearly encounter you maintained with your dear friend .. well said my friend ... heartfelt and honest write says i!
E.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Mr E. Pleased you enjoyed my poem. Hope you are having a great Sunday.

Chris

[Rosie C]

This is so vibrant and heart-warming.

I can tell this is quite a sentimental piece to you.

It leaves a warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach as I read each line.

A thoughtful process, a calming approach from the writer.

A joyous and pleasant read in memory of your brother.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Rosie for your encouragement. Pleased you liked my poem. All the best.
read moreThank you so much Rosie for your encouragement. Pleased you liked my poem. All the best.

Chris

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

That’s beautiful Chris a great tribute to your dear brother
Beautiful

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Julie for your kind words. Have a great weekend.

Chris

[red93]

Beautifully related and whimsical Chris, and how well you deal with an emotive subject. Exceptional ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Chris Shaw]

Always thoughtful, always supportive. Thank you Tony. Have a lovely spring day.

Chris

[red93]

✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Lorry]

I can almost hear the smugness in his voice for that week he's the same age as you. I had an older brother who was 15 months older than me and acted like he was proper old and I was just a kid (a kid who often got picked for our local footie team ahead of him and who he couldn't catch with a rocket up his.... anyway, he used to make me yawn with his excuses that he was allergic to everything from grass to tree bark. I saw it differently, that the grass and trees just didn't like him! 😃
Anyway, he got cured eventually by spending a summer on a farm, where he was allergic to everything, or everything didn't like him.
He got married to someone from Norfolk and now lives there and I am not allowed apparently to call her a Norfolker (say it quick and you'll see why) but totally understand the then siblings rivalry that most like brought you closer together and those memories of laughter weigh heavy on you now.
Sorry for your loss Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks for the smile Lorry. We were very different people, but we had that common bond. We had a thread that was unbreakable. Rivalry between siblings is common, but dare an outsider attack one of your siblings. They would be sorry lol. Have a great day.

Chris

[Soren]

Love knows no barriers of time, death, distance. This all comes through in this work Chris very nicely done with a sense of melancholic nostalgia. Well done

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Soren. You captured the love, so my poem worked. I appreciate your encouraging thoughts.

Chris

[Soren]

My pleasure Chris

[Michael Sun Bear]

It’s a beautiful, loving tribute, Chris. Sounds as if the two of you were lucky to have one another.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Michael. I consider myself blessed. I have four siblings and I remain close to all of them. Steve was closest in age, yes he is missed. I appreciate you stopping by and hope all is ok with you.

Chris

[Relic]

I have a journal I wrote in for two years before my father died. I can't look at it because it's all bad. Instead, I remember the times we laughed and the good times we had. Losing someone can be devastating. But I believe keeping the positive thoughts can be healing no matter the years that pass.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Tim for sharing your thoughts. I fully understand you not wanting to read that journal again. Far better to remember the good times. All the best.

Chris

[John the Baptist]

Grief will eventually pass if mourning is done well. That appears to be the case here. The speaker can enjoy the deceased's humor without pain. His sense of humor is always available. If only more could deal with grief this successfully.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you John. Grief can be all consuming, it needs hard work to come to terms with it. I appreciate your thoughts.

Chris