Per Cod

Per is Toralf's brother, and an Officer in his country's Navy

BROTHER, GOODBYE

On this single day of rain and thunder,
surrounded on all sides by sunshine and laughter,
Tor threw his Mjolner;
Summoning brother Thunder and sister Lightning
Welcoming his Warrior home
Rain was tears from a thousand brothers around the world,
A thousand fallen comrades greeting the Champion School is over, teacher rang the bell
Time to go home,
Wait for me there Brother,
play with your friends,
I have classes still, but I’ll be home soon

Can you see us from where you are?
Can you see you friends here to send you off?
A hundred friends by the grave,
rain hiding a thousand tears,
Smile will return soon, Brother, I promise
But today I cry
Brother, good bye

©Copyright June 11, 2002 by Per Cod
The day I buried my brother, Toralf (09 April 1971 – 07 June 2002)

SORROW

It has happened many a time
That he stops feeling so fine
A sneaky feeling o’ hurt and pain
Creeping up from behind

The Big Man is gone;
In his place a scared boy
Sits in the corner
Or crawls up in bed
Wanting to be safe,
So sick of the fear

Salty tears run down his face
Blood on swollen knuckles
Pain meant to drive off pain
Evil to fight evil

Guilt oceans deep
Sorrow and longing;
For those lost and gone
Dear brothers and strange faces in crowds

A woman’s soft touch,
Or the bottle’s dreamless sleep
Both bring the shame of weakness,
The disgrace of having won,
Yet wishing for defeat

The demons, they say to him;
Cleanse through pain,
That you may live again:
For it is death, the Wages of Sin

Author’s Note: For my Brother, Toralf. I am starting to understand what poetry meant to you, and wish we could have shared that understanding together

SORROW’S ANNIVERSARY

Almost a year
since I saw
you last
still,
not one day
that I
don’t think of
you
wonder
what might have been
think of your son
who
you’ve never seen
of your wife
and
what
should have been
so many joys
stolen
from you
biggest of all
black, hollow pain;
never will you
hold your boy
and forever will he
wonder
who
was
that
man?