Dear brother of mine
the words I have for you
when you take a familiar path
down a destructive road

It ruined so much of our lives
now it has it's grip on you
how could you accept it
why would you let it in

After everything it has taken away
what it has taught us
you turn your faith to addiction
to replace your own anguish

Life will never be easy for us
but you're making it harder
burying yourself in lost memories
hoping to forget the rest

Take another hit of a seductive high
forget about your future life
it's only right now you live
forget what you have
as you create something so black in you

come a long way to the end
reach for more torture
forget if it hurts your family
we all die anyway

From the greatest and worst times of our lives
we always had each other
to hold on to and to survive
no matter how much it hurt

From one bro to the other
it's not for you
don't make the same kind of mistakes as our mother
you only have this life and you won't get another
just find a better place and live another day

It hurts to see our memories go away
If she saw what you are doing
she would roll in her grave
you will never get these parts of your life back

Not only do you do it to yourself
but you deal it out to others
for the collapse of love and family
a cold union so hollow
no warmth to feel inside

Aching sickness for more to come
only the will to make it go away
like I want it to get out of you
and never return

Images growing more sharp
with everything that surrounds me
noticing what I hear
sounds of pain being replaced
with a sense of euphoria
or a jolt of energy

For what has been done to you
you do this to yourself
not seeing what you have done to me
what you've done to your children

I'm grateful for your love
but you still gave me a life
a child would not want to take
if only there were a choice
for the better you would have made

Leaving my brother with me
in places we've never been
with people we never met
we could have been taken away

While you celebrate addiction
with the corrosion of your life
we were left behind
worried you'd never come back

No matter what
we loved you to no end
wanting to be there for you
because among all those people
there was not one true friend

If I knew then what I know now
I would have begged you to stop
no more pain
no more going away
just your love

Maybe if I did
you'd still be here...
if there was a hell after your death
maybe you would know
because you left us there

Ever since we've been crawling out
and dragged back in
it wears us down
so we are never the same again

thanks for getting in the way
but I'll find my way around
you pose such an obstacle for me
so if you want to be a part of my path
I will make you the main course just this once
this is all about you
how you take away from me
you are a blank in my thoughts
a garden without flowers
a child without an imagination

Thank you for challenging me
thank you for getting in my way
I never understood our friendship until now
you're only helping me overcome doubt
opening my imagination a little more
so I can do better
you're as much of my best friend  
as you are my worst enemy

Just to look
Never to reach
never as good as it could be
a failure to try
judge so harshly
discouraged to take a chance

Secrets are kept
wishes go unfulfilled
one suffers alone
fear is prison
nothingness is home

A feeling of insignificance
desire for love
hope for acceptance
calling for a voice
without condescension

I hope you understand
what I am missing

It is sad to think
of the friendships I gave up
because I didn't speak out
and I wonder

Would our lives be better
if I had tried
or would they be worse

The cultural paradigm has encouraged me to be shy
as some answers are found through ridicule
and there is much sensitivity that has guided me
yet I drive myself crazy wondering what if

I'm starting to see that truly I don't need to justify myself
I should embrace myself and others who do as well
if we can coexist together