Twig

I'm losing a branch off of my family tree
I'm hearing you fall, nodding my head, lying awake at night
The image of your fragile face covered by an oxygen mask
You wearing this disguise, masquerading as a dying man
The thought is almost too much to bear
But I'll take it. I won't shed a single tear
After all, I'm better than this. Bigger than this. Stronger than this.
I have to be. For my mother. For my sister.
But all I really want to do is collapse into this idea
Of losing someone else to the soil beneath my feet