Forever My Kin



Forever My Kin
A Memento Mori for my brother, Steve.

As time plods along your absence echoes—a hollow rhythm that lingers long after silence settles.

You were the steady beat in my chaos, my anchor in the storms. But you are gone, so each day feels like a fragile shard of glass, sharp with memory, cutting me with the ghost of your smile.  

I remember the way your laughter filled the spaces between my worries, turning them into fleeting shadows. Your voice—sometimes the teasing rants of our youth, and at others, the encouragement to continue that I relied on you for. 

Dude, your departure tore a hole in my world, a wound that time will not fully mend. Yet, that ache, it's a lot like you were before—a pain in my ass, but resilient, unbroken, always with me, guiding me through the dark.  I honor the brother I lost—whose memory is a lighthouse, illuminating the ocean of my difficulties, forever shining, forever missed.

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In life’s fleeting tide,
a brother’s love anchors deep—
Forever, my kin.

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Shared with DVerse Poets this Memorial Day, and thank you, those who never came home.

©2025 Christopher Reilley 

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Comments

  1. Such heartbreak to lose someone so young... a brother... so sad

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  2. I remember the way your laughter filled the spaces between my worries, turning them into fleeting shadows--beautifully expressed.

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  3. Well...this was stellar, genuine writing...just tragic, sincere, real...great tone as well..this is what haībun is for..from Stærlingsson

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  4. Oh, this brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat. Beautifully done.

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  5. A heartfelt tribute to your brother, and to your grief.

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  6. Beautiful heartwarming tribute to your brother. A brother's love anchor's deep, so happy it is for you.

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  7. A beautiful rememberance. My heart breaks with yours.

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  8. Very nicely done.

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  9. A touching tribute to your brother, Chris. Your opening paragraph resonates with me (pun intended), and I find that, as I get older, the echoes are multiplying. I really love that your brother was the ‘steady beat in my chaos, my anchor in the storms’, and I love the touch of humour you must have shared in ‘that ache, it's a lot like you were before—a pain in my ass’. The haiku sums it all up neatly.

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  10. I can't imagine losing my sister. It would destroy me. You captured your love for your brother and your ache at his loss perfectly, Chris.

    Yvette M Calleiro :-)
    http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com

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