Brother

Your face is a giant marshmallow
I could roast it on a stick like a smore
The goo would paste my fingers together
in a silent mockery
as the charred flesh
burns my tongue and asphyxiates me.
I see you melt away.
You taste like the flames that scorch you
but I could never harm you.
Remember our younger days?
The fun we had together
and oh the evil tricks we played
on everyone around us.
I wish that this was just
another one of those games.
Mother always said we must be good
and not tempt the sharp edge of recklessness
or it would come back to bite us in the end.
I have been bitten and now a piece of me is missing.
We should have listened.
We were as captive as renegade snowflakes
drifting through the world,
slaying dragons and saving kittens.
But I could not always protect you, brother.
The hardest lesson I’ve ever learned is now.
The marshmallow lies peacefully
on a satin blanket
his face so pale, so swollen.
Tomorrow and ever after I shall journey alone.