Brother

nothing could prepare me for that day
that day you were born and one became two
two brothers who were two years apart
but to me it seemed like you were always there
never away and never too far

no one could tell me I was alone for that long
without you and the games we used to play
pretending we were larger than that single cramped room
that we outgrew the second you spoke
your first words to me

the rusted fence could not hold us back
neither the fading paint or the fading faces
they grew old and brittle as time went on
the cold that Winter brought when we were together
in that single bed we all shared

we shared all we had
including those memories we made
the days we were left with nothing
but the gravel beneath our feet
and the glass marbles we dug out of the earth
filled with our hopes and dreams


Writer: Brian Rueda is an English major at Fullerton College. He writes short stories, but poetry is what he writes and enjoys the most. He is constantly trying to improve his writing. This is his first published work.

Artist: Hiram Jair Moreno is a student currently enrolled at Fullerton College. In the past, he was challenged by a seven-year drug addiction that he overcame by pursuing his educational dreams. He is proud to announce that he will be the first in his family to graduate from college after the current semester. In the Fall of 2018, he will attend a four-year university, where he will continue to further his passion for photography and French.