In Honor of National Poetry Month...

I'm not the poet of the family. My brother, Tom, is

http://tomjmohrman.blogspot.com

See?

Tom takes moments and turns them into transcendent threads of gold. He writes about things that are too scary to express--depression, solitude, regret.

He also writes about his music. Mostly, though, he writes about his lady friend, Emily.

It's a pretty wonderful part of my day to log onto my account and see a new poem waiting for me to unwrap like a present.

In honor of National Poetry Month, Tom is attempting to write a new poem for every day of the month. So, in an attempt to support his action, I'm going to attempt to write a real poem, today.

This is so out of my comfort zone.

Whisper

I whisper prayers in the darkness,
"Please God, please let him sleep tonight."
Let us all get the rest we need,
so that during the next day I don't feel like Sisyphus,
pushing two boys up the same hill.
I whisper prayers when Paul goes on his long runs,
a mere speck, trudging past makeshift memorials,
flowers and teddy bears, commemorating the less fortunate.
I whisper prayers when the anger courses through my veins,
when all I want to do is slap that small, curious hand,
or literally shake sense into that developing mind.
I whisper prayers when I look in the mirror,
seeing the wrinkles in my smile,
the dark circles under my eyes,
the persistent jiggle around my middle.
I whisper prayers when I'm alone,
because my heart is somewhere else,
and I must protect it.
I whisper into the cosmos,
hoping that the words take flight,
and serve their divine purpose.