Three Brothers
Three brothers exited from the same opening,
Grew up on the same farm,
Attended the same school,
Watched the same moon, sun, and sky—
Maybe bitten by the same mosquito.
One sought money.
Left home early
Worked hard, took a chance or two.
“Quite the entrepreneur,”
His whole family exalted.
The second stayed home,
Content to make the family farm
His all and be.
“Slow and steady,” he would say.
Kept the ways of his dad.
The third feared being a bore.
Did not want yesterday
Repeated tomorrow.
He looked to and then rejected God.
Found his joy in questioning.
The first learned to skim
Take a little
From many
Always looked ahead for
The next opportunity.
Back on the farm, prayers seemed
Necessary to keep a drought away.
With things so tight, he could not survive a setback.
The cows demanded milking
Not one day off for him.
Three jumped from career to career
Baker, banker, bartender
Painter, plumber, teacher, artist
Never staying long—
Always seeking, mostly in defeat.
Death came—he did not care—
Took one at the shore,
Two milking his last cow,
Three traveling to country number forty-four.
Three brothers born, lived, and died
Just like you and me.
Ambition drove one, contentment and adventure
Keep the other two,
Born of the same woman they never reconciled
Till death called.
Copyright © Michael Pedretti | Year Posted 2025
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