Best Brother Death Poems
Over the top lads, for old Blighty! Hold the colours high!
Say a little prayer for me, for this summer day we die.
My brothers from the ripened field and blackened mill, shop floor,
Your brother in a killing field to fight a rich man’s war.
In bloodied mud and shattered wood, fight legions of the brave,
Unwitting youth, you’ll do your duty until you’re in the grave.
A sergeant greets a fresh-faced boy, “welcome to the slaughter!”
Here you die from three diseases, bullet, gas or mortar.
In arms we fight together and in leaden hails we pass,
We die amongst the filth and stench that once was verdant grass.
“In the morning we will remember them” we hear the leaders call,
Those fickle words of history, will not remember us all.
Strangely bent this journey extends
Surreal at times, yet so real at ends
Each end confronts with a hardship of choices
With an abrupt passing, or an eternity of voices...
You and I, once on similar trends
Like brothers, we traversed all evil impends
The wheels then turned, unleashed worst of fears
We parted asunder on an ocean of tears
Through fallen decades, aggrieved heart sustained
I found my calling, forgot I was pained
Just when the going got peaceful and boring
Gales of anguish, and war started pouring
Again, I was forced to extinguish my wills
Left home for those in need of my skills
Forced to welcome the worst of thrills
A reward for one with the highest kills?
As we splattered blood on uncertain causes
Strode down the road of victories and losses
A vessel, merely, I was as I killed
Of sons, of husbands, of fathers, I spilled
In the heat of the battle, as I charged through
When my craving eyes met the eyes of you
That instant, that second, that moment, I knew
Neither decades nor ages could help subdue
My faltering sword could no longer fight
For whom I now behold in my sight
And I question my vow, having vowed despite
Whether or not my cause was right
Yet again, I stand on the recurring hill
In the midst of havoc, at a standstill
A piece of land that I swore to defend
Is it worth the life of a brother, a friend?
Birth begins the tragedy in us. Life's
First sound is a blank scream
Against sorrow's hidden portends of strifes
All we know are mirages and dream.
Mother took the news staring at the sky
She must have cried inside
For I have no evidence else. There's no why
For it ... how my rage defied
Her callous front ... he was her first boy
The only hero she spoke well
Of, his name was the formula for joy
In our house: anecdotes tell
Of his escapades ... youth defying fate
He had a cat's tenacity for life
And from evil wills found a golden gate
Of scholarship and exotic wife.
I remember when the years pulled him back
All he came with was a bag
Of books, and a couple suits in novel sack
His eyes time warped, a lag
Of missing years and loneliness enfolding him
But he was handsome still
And my soul cartwheeled at joy's fresh brim
Those moments that he filled
When eyes first contact spelled pride to claim
This aristocrat like a medal
I could wear. So young he was, her true flame
The son of love's sweet recital!
And many days sitting in his shadow, I heard
Him dream big things like stars
Far away, warm things like a fluttering bird
Things made bright to cover scars
In the sore of memory. His mind was his cliff
A risky place in the high winds
And closer to the edge for the Grail he'd drift
O how the giddy world spins!
He died in Kingston: William came and went
And my mother looked at the sky
But until she died, about his memory was silent
And I forever wonder why.
I loved him, you know, he was the first best thing
A poor child had to claim or show
The world ... with him I was no more common. A king
He made me in his gold of glow
Something that I looked forward to meet in me. I,
Like mother, been silence since
But sometimes my heart just heave and would cry
For time this love cannot rinse
And I that moment cannot comprehend, that death
Gave no notice to his lauded day
And like common dust on a wild wind's balmy breath
My brother was swiftly swept away.
My dog began barking at the air
I began to ask myself
Was it you? Were you there ?
I thought I heard your voice in my ear but couldn’t make out what it said
Was that you
Or is it all just in my head
I saw the light on my cable box show the time suddenly dimmed and then go bright
Was that you
Telling me that you’re alright
A plate was knocked out of my hand and fell to the ground
Was that you
Were you
letting me know that you are still around
We spoke of you and the broken phone began to sing
Was that you
Telling us to keep fighting
I hear tapping on my roof as I lay in bed
Was that you
Letting me know u can hear what I said
I look for you everywhere I go
Was that you
Telling me what I need to know
I’m having a hard time knowing that you are gone away
Was that you
That I felt besides me as I pray
I’m fighting for you everyday to find the truth why ur gone
Was that you leading me
Or telling me that I’m wrong
I find it hard to believe that you are no longer here
Was that you
Are you still near
Was that you show me a sign
Am I going crazy
Lost my mind
Was that you banging on my wall
Was that you
Or am I imagining it all
He woke and saw his beloved asleep with one breast partially exposed
And with his fantastic limp he works his way to the kitchen
He made coffee for her with croissant lathered with jam
Gently he pulled at the exposed women and gestures with the tray
Happily she wakes and with great affection reaches for him
Coffee is second and pastries with jam come close to him
But he is first and the love hits him like the wind
Gently it began and gale force now
He had to lash himself so he wouldn't be swept away
And it grew
She always lay in their position and there was no other
He would mold himself to her and tease her nipple
He came home weathered from the battle and with grief
Friends had been shot by snipers and the heat
He had seen a woman with a basket approach his friend
And she dropped the basket and pulled the belt
The explosion deafened him and his comrade's face is gone
Fragments hit him but he is running to his friend
But the friend lays silent
Gazing to the wetness on his leg he falls
He is deafened and wakes in terror and looks upon the leg
And finding himself in bed she tries to talk with him
But he claim's it's a bad dream and the basket falling
And later...............
The limp was his reminder of that day and he eats the croissant for his friend
There are so many things I wish I had said
Regrets which haunt me
And play inside my head
It feels as if time has been frozen and I can not move at all
Will you give me a sign ur ok
And answer me when I call
U have been a part of me my entire life and now I feel lost inside
When u left
It was not just u who died
I carry your memories inside my soul and heart
My brother who loved me
From the very start
I know ur in heaven watching me
U no longer have to be sad
Because now u r free
All ur pain has gone away
And I know I’ll see u again
When I am old and grey
Why am I so angry at the world right now
You were the one who always knocked sense into me
Without you I don’t know how
Are you watching me and smiling or are u telling me I’m wrong
I am fighting for you still
Just as I always fought for you all along
I am battling others while battling myself inside
Unsure if I am right or wrong
But I need to know why you died
My chest feels heavy and my body feels weak
Can you hear me when I talk to you
Do you hear me when I speak
I miss you so much and regret so many things I never said
I wish I’d have done things differently
I live with my regrets as they play over and over inside my head
My brother I love you and I know you are free
Is it wrong of me to want you to still be here
Is it selfish that I want to steal you from heaven and keep you here with me?
" I remember that day
As clear as the crystal springs in June"
only it wasn't June, It was August
the morning air was thick like smoke
it choked me awake
the first blush of day
flushed across the sky
blood red clouds
colored her path
I lay still
like the air
without a hint
of summer's wind
the clock on the wall
tormented me
with the tick, tock,
tick, tock,
its bony hands
seemed to skip along
until I arose from bed
I sipped on coffee
as I took in the news
unsure what my day would bring
...and then I could hear a buzz
as if a fly was making circles
beside the bed, then a ring, ring,
ring echoed within my purse
I stared at the clock
my heart began to beat
faster then time
was it my father
did something happen
I worried as I listened
the voice
was indistinct
as if being choked
I struggled
with my ears
to make sense
of the words
that fell
...and then silence
fell all around
as if deaf
and mute
unable to process
and conceive
the message
my brother,
who turned 49
just the day before
was breathless
like the august wind
no more jokes
or laughter
or candles atop cake
his wick had burned out
within that last breath of air
and it burns, slow
as the years pass
still to this day
yet I'll remember that day
forever more....
pick a line contest
Mustapha Mohammed
"Reflections when the summer breathes"
Sandy Adams 8-22-2013
I buried my boys today
Thirteen wasn't bad enough
What a pain in my heart
It's mine now, gone from them
They suffer no more
More than a hundred years
Barely seen half of that
I can only wish
Brothers to the very end
I can only wish
Love to take my boys out
Take them out all day
Take them to the running field
Run the while away
I can only wish
Love to buy my boat back
Buy it back all day
Wish I had my old boat
Wish I’d fish today
If I could only fish
”A Twin in Heaven”
Exactly 12 days short
of two weeks, and
thoughts of losing
you fails to escape me.
Debating if perhaps-
all the while,
a test solely for me?!
A test-
proving if my strength
can not emerge
to weak?!
A test-
to leave behind
the visual effects
of your flesh that night
in hopes it no longer
torments me?!
Or…
A test-
to see who’s reaching
the Pearly Gates first…
you or me?!
Sigh…(Crying)
Well twin—41 years,
2 months and 12 days…
you finally surpassed me.
My only request…
is for you to save a spot in line for me.
INK-U-SCRIPT
Pace, G
April 4, 2025
December Twenty Seventh
Of Two thousand and Nine
Is the night I lost my brother
A Best friend of mine
The night two paths were chosen
One for him and one for I
A night I'll never forget
The night he lost his life
Sitting in the living room
Getting ready for the night
My good friend Byron called me
And said "Tonight's the Night"
With excitement I said YES!!!
Me and Lee will be there by nine
As I proposed this idea to lee
He simply said” Not tonight"
As I begged and pleaded with him
The question only asked was why
He said I have other plans
I’m going out with friends tonight
So all during the night
Something just didn’t feel right
But I put my feelings aside
And carried out my plans for that night
We began putting our clothes on
Joking and laughing about good times
I never even realized
That this would be the last time
Posing and primping in the mirror
He jokingly said “Do I look rich”
I said “Man you look good”
“But you might be one preppy sum *****”
As he laughed and said a smartass remark
A horn blew, and then he ran out to the car
His friends were there, and they were ready to go
I said I love you brother and as always he said I know
As I began to leave the house that night
Something in mind, just didn’t feel right
But along I went, and began to drive
To my good friend Byron’s to have a good time
So as the night went on
I had the time of my life
I got drunk and passed out
In the bed of that friend of mine
Awaken by a stranger
A stranger to me at the time
It was one of my dad’s really good friends
Then he said “come on let’s take a ride”
To be Continued
White marble stones
Stand proud in the sun
To remember my colleagues
The heroic fallen ones
Many a battle
Many a campaign
Some did return
For some never the same
On the green grass i stand
Blue sky above
The souls of my comrade's
Like peaceful sitting doves
The name on this stone
Reminds me of the day
My best friend and brother
Was taken away
An offensive was launched
Brothers at war
Bunker to take
At the top of a tor
Smoke screen exhausts the view to the hill
As we wind our way through
Zipping bullets, blood spill
Noises of lead, as they rip through the flesh
As we hit the barbed wire
Now a scarlet stained mesh
Objective in sight as we approach our aim
As i hear the groan of the injured
Many dead and maimed
Grenade pin pulled
Bunker window we lob
Hands sweating
How many lives will we rob
Explosion flash with shouts of pain
As the smoke lifts on this bloody terrain
We enter the Bunker
To witness our task
The enemy lie distorted
Faces grimace, death mask
I turn to my brother, to signal its safe
As a shot rings out, in this theatre place
He stands still for a moment
Eyes glazing and cold
The death of my sibling
At 19 years old
As i open my eyes, and turn to my son
I see what i had, as he holds my grandson
Family values, love and a bond
As i remember my brother
Of whom, i was so fond
I proudly walk past, salute as i go
The white stones standing proud
Peaceful doves in a row
I find my self fortunate to stand here and tell
To talk of my brother, and the fallen as well
http://www.thehighlanderspoems.com/war-2.php
High on the Normandy cliffs
Looking out over Pointe du Hoc
As cold Atlantic winds whisper out
The names of the brothers I left behind
Now only fine marble monument shadows
Dot the trenches and empty emplacements
As the final testimony of the fallen
Still ringing frightened with those desperate voices
Proclaiming both their lives and death
That they were ever here…
In the emerald hills of Collville Sur Mur
I can still hear the phantom naval shells screaming
Underneath the crying of men
Pulverized and dying in their comrades arms
All for the belief of the land from which they hail
While the roaring waves wash the still bloody sands
In and endless and rending cycle
That silent cacophony of brother and foe
Call out to me still for comfort and aid
Asking only to be remembered…
You are a brother
And a son, special gifts
For you are known, shown
You are a child
And a man sang "Kumbaya"
"Come by here, O' Lord"
As if to forecast
His love to a family
You held together
In its time of need
Things amazing this poet
If you did know it
You a gift from God
As only He could style
As He opens wide
His arms you greet Him
with your smile, His chile
Be free now Billy
1
I stood by your graveside this cold winters day.
A heart broken with sorrow that won’t go away.
I called out your name and shed many a tear.
And hoped in my heart that you would appear.
2
God took you from us that fine sunny morning.
Our lives now shattered without any warning.
Your work here on earth has finished this year.
Your books and teachings you spread far and near.
3
It was a pleasure to know you for sixty odd years.
And when my time comes I will have no fears.
You will be waiting to greet me as oft times before.
When I call to your house and knock on the door.
4
Each night when I lay my head down to sleep.
I will ask the lord your soul to keep.
And if you find any time away from your books.
Look kindly on me as I walk in those woods.
"Brightly, brightly, and with Beauty",
quoted Mr. Valentine.
In fullness Grok; to cherish, flock-
this Ghost of Yours and Mine.
I've decided to discorporate
at this friendly hour.
Water Brothers, don't hesitate-
I am yours to devour!
*Homage to "Stranger in a Strange Land". If you've never read the book, this poem will
be quite difficult to understand, I'm afraid.