Drabble 03 | A Poem For You

[toremainbehind]

Water washes away the blood,
But it can never wash away my sin.
This world - cruel and selfish;
How can anyone expect to win?

I leave this as a memory,
As a reminder for what I've done.
I leave this as my token
To remind me who I've become.

Who I am - what I've done.
This remains my legacy for my brother;
For all I've done, I've done for him.
For I love no other.

I can't tell you straight;
I can't tell you now.
Soon, one day I will,
And I'll tell you how.

Eric, if you read this,
Never forget.
In life, as we go forth,
Never allow yourself to regret.

The poem burned in the fire as Izumo lit the end of it with a lighter.

He watched it burn, the edges of it peeling away as it turned into ash. He continued to hold onto it until the flames licked at his fingertips, prompting him to finally let it go.

Izumo glanced over his shoulder where Eric was sleeping on the bench, curled up under the jacket Izumo had thrown over him. Being out in the open was dangerous, but they needed the break before the older could safely whisk his brother away.

As he looked back down at the ashes, Izumo took out a cigarette and lit it, the taste of tobacco keeping him awake. Lifting his gaze up, he stared at the dark, starlit sky.

Eric never needed to know what he wrote in his time of weakness, and he will keep it that way.

No one was going to keep them apart again.