Everything changed
After my brother died
Not only was he gone
We moved away
From everything
My home
My friends
My school
This new place
Was foreign to me
It was also
Very close
To where my brother
Was killed
By a drunk driver
To this day
I still don’t understand
That decision
Perhaps my parents
Were seeking
Closure of sorts
But my mother
Sank deeper
Into the abyss
She became estranged
From family and friends
And I deeply
Resented her for that
We argued often
To no avail
When college came
I welcomed leaving
I could stand it
No longer
I built my own life
While she struggled
To maintain hers
I knew she loved me
But her way of showing it
Fell far short
She was full of pain
And I was full of resentment
I lacked the maturity
And the empathy
To even try
To make things right
I felt empty
Our relationship became
A one-way street
She always had a twinkle
In her eye
Whenever she saw me
Something I overlooked
Until it was too late