Toti O’Brien

DEAD BROTHER

Not just a thin line but a chamber
of blue, ancient bruise, imperfectly 
absorbed. You are the map 
of a foreign land tattooed on the lining 
of my chest, parchment I can’t unfold
shipped within a tube, lost at customs
never heard of again. I try 
distant readings, smoke signals
Morse code. Or close ones
with the very tip of my fingers. 
I gather a single regret 
you patiently reiterate, a plead
a request. Yes. But what did you say?
You are the flip side of your tombstone
the unwritten one, un-engraved. 
Or I am. I am the flip side
of your tombstone, mossy, coated
with a veil of dampness. Forgive me. 
I will sleep with you now, match 
your imperceptible breathing
steady, eternal, they say. 

Toti O’Brien is the Italian Accordionist with the Irish Last Name. Born in Rome, living in Los Angeles, she is an artist, musician and dancer. She is also the author of Other Maidens (BlazeVOX, 2020), and An Alphabet of Birds (Moonrise Press, 2020).