Sometimes, being a big brother means letting you win
Even though you know I’m freaking awesome at the game.
And sometimes, it means kicking your butt a few races in just so that you won’t catch on
Even though I know you’ll probably still get mad for losing.
Sometimes, being a big brother means tucking you in at night
Even after you’ve eaten the largest ice cream sundae ever to be made.
And sometimes, it means rolling your grumpy butt out of bed to catch the bus
Even after getting kicked by a stray foot in the teeth.
Sometimes, being a big brother means modeling for the mustaches you’ve made out of my scarves
Even though a person isn’t supposed to have six mustaches- or tape, for that matter- on their face.
And sometimes, it means letting you borrow said scarves for the day
Even though pink is so not your color- I still applaud you for having the balls.
Sometimes, being a big brother means telling you that girls really aren’t all that different from boys
Even though I know that the girls in the sixth grade are idiots (but let’s be honest, so are the boys).
And sometimes, it means having to tell you that girls really do have cooties
Even though it’s only because I don’t want you growing up too fast.
Sometimes, being a big brother means explaining that there are other viewpoints out there
Even after you choose “Communism” as the word best explaining “Nasty” in Apples to Apples.
And sometimes, I still have to try and validate your opinions
Even if I won’t ever agree with them and still pray to God that one day they change.
Sometimes, being a big brother means trying to explain that your parents might have done you a favor by getting divorced, and sparing you a world of even more confusion and pain
Even though I know that’s a horrible thing to say, and know better than anyone that it will never ever feel that way.
And sometimes, it means being such a callous jerk that you burst into tears and want to kill me
Even though I only do it because I know that you’re a master at the art of repression.
Sometimes, being a big brother means telling you that you don’t want to turn out like me
Even though I know I’m making it look easy and enjoyable.
And sometimes, it means trying to push you into doing things you don’t want to do
Even though I didn’t believe in doing things like that before you guys reentered my life.
Sometimes, being a big brother means shrugging off the little things, and especially the impossible things
Even though it hurts and even though it’s hard.
Because at the end of the day, no other job has ever paid me as much
And if I were to die tomorrow I’d know that if even for a second of my life I might have meant something.
So thank you for being my little brothers
And for giving me something to live for.
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140,401 Literary Works • 673,157 Reviews
Sometimes poetry is just prose in verse form (blank verse and free verse are, after all, verses). I loved the content of this poem. You captured the dynamics of being an older brother quite well, and followed each opposite with its pair in a nice, succinct way. The only thing I'd recommend would be going back and putting some periods in there. It's not even one sentence, since it doesn't "end". Oh, it does with content, but you didn't even finish it out with a period.
Hope this helps!
The poem is simple and that's what gives any poem its meaning. As a starter poem its great, and the emotion that the poem gives out is what you want people to be getting from it. As any poem goes, that is what you want people to be getting from it, the emotions and thoughts behind the actual phrasing, formatting, or anything else. I think as a starter its fine, as you grow in writing and re-look at it multiple times, you'll find what needs to be changed and what you feel needs to be reworked.
This is so sweet and honest! I liked how you've repeated "Sometimes being a big brother means..." so effectively. The poem is simple and maybe that's why it's all the more touching, since these ties are in fact, the ones that shmancy fancy long words and purple tinges can't describe. I'd like to offer a few pointers though. I think the poem's nice enough the way it is: a narrative, but if you were to split the sentences in places it might be a bit more effective. Like:
"And sometimes, it means kicking your butt a few races in just so that you won’t catch on"
You've mixed up the sentence here, so you could divide this line into two to make it clearer. Then it would be:
"And sometimes, it means kicking your butt in a few races
Just so you won't catch on."
Also:
"Even though a person isn’t supposed to have six mustaches- or tape, for that matter- on their face"
This line could be better as:
"Even though a person isn’t supposed to have six mustaches- or tape, for that matter-
On their face."
And so on. =)
These lines:
"Sometimes, being a big brother means trying to explain that your parents might have done you a favor by getting divorced, and sparing you a world of even more confusion and pain
Even though I know that’s a horrible thing to say, and know better than anyone that it will never ever feel that way" and
"And if I were to die tomorrow I’d know that if even for a second of my life I might have meant something" could get shortened as well, or split up.
Also there's this verse:
"Even though I didn’t believe in doing things like that before you guys reentered my life"
Is it just me, or shouldn't it be "entered" instead of "reentered"?
Overall, I liked this poem and felt that it sums up these cherished relationships in a simple and yet poignant way, and moves us to understand that family is about sacrifices and love despite everything life throws at you. Keep writing!
~Pompadour
BLAAAAAAAAGH!!! That is all I can say about this stupid formatting. Apparently, I'm cursed. It's official so if you could even manage to get through this to the bottom I deeply apologize and thank you.