For Dawn Marie Catherine - to honor your brother.

A man often asks himself, “Who might I be?” defining himself by a role
Of all the parts he plays in his life, none will define his true soul
Husband or son, brother or coach, worker or father of two
None of the titles, labels and names will speak of his goodness on cue

Answers to a question like that need help and assistance to learn
For boys are raised up to protect and provide and are not often taught to discern
Not without wishes, remorse and some ill, a man lives his life best he can
Sometimes his best may seem very little as castles constructed of sand

But the grains that made his castle remain, they never go far or away
His ideas and passions, values and creeds remain with those who must stay
I didn’t know Douglas so my thoughts may be wrong but sharing these things I will do.
How can he write this? How dare he, you ask? I write what he feels like through you.

Compassionate, caring, with love on his sleeve.
Wry sense of humor, absurd
To those who surround him, he lightens their load
With a smile, a touch and a word

Those gestures of care and of giving
With zeal and his obvious pride
Hide a deep side that’s quite often missed
Except by those with whom he has cried

Good with a story or twist of a phrase
Able to laugh and enjoy
Not being the easiest one to believe
That’s ‘cause he’s your brother, a boy

Wind-in-his-face kind of a guy
Loving the turns and the bends
Straight lines are boring, the reasoning here
Is that you can see both the ends

Especially with those he is close to
Able to kid and cajole
A memory of faux pas’ long ago past
For that is part of his role

Complex is defined by numbers of threads
Woven and tangled by time
Combined with experience, weakness and strength
God’s loom of uniqueness, sublime ©