teased and ill-conceived
her brother's father
only came on those days
where the sun sank low,
and there would be this orange,
a peach-cream color
that would decorate the sky
she knew her brother
had only eight days left
in this tattered afternoon of blue.
for the teas they used to drink,
would no longer be brewed
no longer tasted
no longer filling them with warmth
while his fragile body slept in gentle sighs
beneath thin blankets of cloth
she lay her hand upon her brother's cheek
his fevered flesh burning her fingers
she'd close her eyes
and lay beside him,
tenderly. oh so gently,
she'd slip her hand into his
and she'd lay her head atop the lumpy pillow

and what she'd do next is,
she'd fall asleep beside him.