When I was three I said to Mother,
"Wish I had a little brother."
We could laugh and play together,
Unconcerned with when or whether,
Worried not nor would I wonder,
If fate could strike our love asunder.

Then one summer day you came,
Then it became a bright new game.
When I turned four we moved again,
So Daddy, like so many men,
Would have some work that he could do,
To feed us all, including you.

I recall my first snowfall,
And how I trudged across our hall,
Pouring buckets of white snow,
Into the tub so I could show,
The wonders of God's world at play,
When you awoke on the next day.

I think of how we'd laugh and play,
Built a private world of clay.
Once set the garage afire,
Still, I could not help admire,
Your willingness to take a chance,
To make your life a blazing dance.

Then came a day you went away,
"To be a priest", I heard you say.
Something evil then befell,
But what it was you'd never tell.
Suddenly, you came back home,
Got caught up in the froth and foam,

Of family madness all around.
You may have felt that you were bound,
To face uncertainty alone,
With several siblings who were prone,
To a madness all their own.

I had gone with my new wife,
To make a way for my own life,
Devoid of bickering and strife.
Since then I've seldom seen or heard,
From you, or shared with you a word.

Something ugly came between us,
Something we could not discuss.
It festers there these many years,
Bringing sadness, bringing tears.
After thirty years gone by,
I wait in hope not knowing why.

I pray that someday you will see,
The truth and it will set you free,
To let it go so you can be,
At peace within if not with me.
We have no need to disagree.

As you turn seventy this year,
I want to make it very clear,
I wish you every joy and cheer.
Please know that I am most sincere.

The final thing I want to say,
No matter where you go or stray,
Regardless of the things you do,
God and I both still love you.