The Brother Who Carried All the Pain
The
second child arrived before her heart could mend,
Too
soon the pain of birth returned she could not fend.
She
had not wished another burden at her side,
Her
patience worn, her tender feelings pushed aside.
Had
fate instead delivered a daughter soft and mild,
Her
heart might warm—but not for this unwanted child.
Her
firstborn son remained the jewel within her sight,
The
sun around which turned her small domestic light.
Her
praise and fond affection shaped his growing days,
She
crowned his smallest deeds with undeserving praise.
In
whispered words she fed the pride within his ear,
And
sowed the seeds of self that flourished year by year.
The
younger brother, drifting somewhere out of view,
Received
the colder glance as her
indifference grew.
No
gentle bond had formed between them from the start,
A
quiet frost had settled deep within her heart.
And so, the elder learned, when mother was away,
His
smaller brother made a harmless game to play.
He
learned her moods, the weather of her troubled mind,
That
tears and noise would make her sharp, impatient, blind.
So,
when she turned away, beyond her watchful sight,
His
little brother felt the brunt of childish spite.
A
shove, a slap, a blow delivered quick and sly—
And if
the baby cried, the elder would deny.
Too
young to speak, the little one could only weep,
His
mother’s iciness unfelt, but certain, firm, and deep.
Then
one day, a four-by-two, with rusty nail sticking out,
Struck
down upon his infant head, with a massive clout.
The
blood ran red—no lie could hide the awful mark,
And
truth stood naked in the sudden, dreadful stark.
The firstborn’s
punishment that day, was sharp but brief,
Yet
sharper still a sinister lesson whispered underneath:
That
tears and tales could bend his mother to his will,
And
she would strike the smaller brother standing still.
From
then he learned the cruel advantage of the game—
To cry
for help… and let his mother deal the blame.
Each
day the malignant tumor in her mind increased
Spreading
within her frontal lobe, in its solemn feast
In
place of warmth, coldness setting in, taking control,
Consuming
any decency, leaving behind a bitter soul.
The
monster inside building pressure, setting the stage,
Inherent
festering, boiling away, craving to vent rage.
Restlessly
waiting for a trivial incident, an itchy finger,
A tiny
yelp or howl, shriek, or scream, to pull the trigger.
And
vent the steam that had gone well past boiling point,
The
misery of daily tasks that set her mind out of joint.
So,
when the cloud of madness set in, when she was riled,
She
believed that it was not a crime, to spank her child.
Yes,
to beat a part of her, to beat him hard with a stick!
To
drag him by the hair, like a rag doll, her mind so sick
For
love of hate, the sadistic mum, her pleasure in pain,
So
condescending, full of disparagement and disdain.
The
cut of criticism upon her breath when she was wild,
Out
came her demons, spare the rod and spoil the child.
The awful
wound upon his head became a painful score,
Infected
bone that left him weak and grew into more.
Long
weeks in wards where silent suffering filled the air,
While
mother’s patience thinned, and little brother’s care.
The
blow that split his scalp did more than flesh divide—
It
clouded thought and left confusion deep inside.
And
from that day a pounding ache would haunt his head,
A
constant drum of pain, that followed where he went.
At
times it swelled to storms of blinding, crushing might,
The
cruel affliction men would later call migraine’s bite.
Yet,
when he spoke, of pain, she brushed his words aside—
“It is
only in your head!” was what his mother cried.
At
school lessons learned came slow and hard to bear,
For
words and numbers tangled in a stubborn snare.
His
restless mind could scarcely hold the thoughts in line,
And
pain would bloom within his bones with cruel design.
The fibers
of agony through weary muscles wound—
A body
made to constant ache, a spirit tightly bound.
And
years went on, two younger brothers joined the fold,
Their
eager minds still soft, impressionable, and controlled.
The
firstborn taught them well the cunning tricks he knew,
How
tears and tales could bend their mother’s judgment too.
And
soon the smallest brothers found the pattern plain—
Three
voices now would rise to cast on him the blame.
At
school the whispers spread beyond the household door,
Where
elder brother’s friends joined in the cruel uproar.
He
showed them well the art of shifting fault away,
And
pointing fingers where the weakest child would stay.
So
down the years the second born bore the shame,
Caught
in the spiral of a cruel and crooked game.
So,
pity then the wounded child who bore the brunt of pain?
He
never called for pity, for all he felt was storm and strain.
His
mind and body struggled hard yet fought it all in vain,
The
scars of youth ran deeper than the eye could see,
A life
bent low beneath cruel circumstance to be.
His
muscles bound so tightly, resting brought no ease,
And
exercise only worsened the torment to seize.
Yet
those who shaped the hurt walked on without a care—
For
hearts that lack all empathy feel nothing there.
So,
spare a thought for him whose childhood bore the cost,
Whose
fragile hopes in bitter circumstance were lost.
The
wounds he carried none could truly understand,
Save
those who feel the sorrow written by this hand.
But
they who dealt the blows walked on as though it is right—
For
souls without compassion cannot see the light.
For
truth may whisper softly through all the years gone by,
But
deaf are those whose hearts never felt the reason why.
And
so, the brothers hid behind their mother’s apron strings,
Spinning
dreadful lies and plotting more of petty things.
Yet
penance is patient, and age erodes the grime,
Time
deals its hand slowly; rough justice waits in line.
The
second born observed the world, its dangerous play,
Where
shadows move like players, and cards can shift the day.
A life
of careful watching, learning which moves to trust,
For in
the game of fate, the careless can vanish into dust.
Written By: Alan.Clark@WW1POET (March 2026)