A 14 YEAR OLD WAS THROWN FROM A 3 WHEELED ATV
WHEN HE APPARENTLY BRAKED USING ONLY THE FRONT
WHEEL. HE LANDED ON HIS HEAD. THE RESULTING HEAD
INJURIES PROVED FATAL. HE WAS WEARING A HELMET.

My brother’s life and death
Distilled and refined
Like grain alcohol
Into four harsh sentences
Swallow fast, ignore the pain

I was a child
and never knew how it happened
Only knew what I saw
David lying on the ground unconscious
head and helmet cracked
Blood and body tissue coloring brown earth
ATV idling nearby, unconcerned, waiting

Was he momentarily free?
Weightless and graceful
Flying over handlebars–floating
It would have been peaceful
For one fleeting moment

The moment passed,
David became a faded picture on a stone marker
Dad was so incredibly angry
yelling, drinking and breaking things
Swallowing fast–he couldn’t avoid the pain

He liked you best
You both had so much in common
That white mug with your name on a piece of masking
tape
with its picture of an antique car–bright and laughing
It remained on the shelf in his office–always
Dusty and discolored
Your life ultimately distilled
and poured inside that mug
I was afraid to touch it