Brothers

My brother would be 81 today. He passed at 69. I had 3 brothers, all gone. Sisters are great friends and close at heart, but brothers are a steady caring presence. Mine were nonjudgmental of me. I miss them all. Brothers are like a substitute dad. Clayton was a phone call away. I wrote about him when he passed.

Lean on me, I am your brother!

Faded cut-offs and a white t-shirt

Old ball cap and his coffee cup

Guess he didn't look like much, 
But he's the one you really trust.

You could lean on him!

Car broke down, you call home

You know the number, same ol' one

Feel a lot better when you hear "hello"

'Cause the answer is always--"I'll come".

You could lean on him!

Even way back when you were young

"Dad, cows are up, milkings done"

Drove the yellow school bus, just a kid

Parked on the hill when the battery was dead.

You could lean on him!

Dad was gone,  and Mom all alone

Needed someone to really count on

Moved his stuff in that old back room

Took her orders like a child, tho' grown.

You could lean on him!

No, he wasn't perfect, did some wrong

But one thing you knew you could count on

If the chips were down and your money gone

You knew the number, you could call home.

You could lean on him!