Beautiful Brucey

Beautiful Brucey

at first, you might be easy to miss

not physically-- for you are as BIG a giant oak

if fact, your size might just scare people

your eyes might seem a little shifty

and you could be called evasive or even

standoffish or maybe even guilty

it kinda makes you easy to ignore

and then there’s your

refusal to do your work

hard headed, class clown

DEFIANT

Nobody has time for someone

One who won’t help themselves

and let’s be honest Bruce

you steal

bikes

nobody likes that

not even your mom

but then you’re not sure she

likes you

even when you were

CONFRONTED

you didn’t really care

stating you weren’t afraid

of jail…..almost like you had

decided that’s where you belong

one day you were spotted

riding your bike

like a five-year boy

free as a bird

and you were

beautiful

not easy to miss

around that time is when you became Brucey

and we began to see you

your size that makes you so

scary

comes in handy at rugby

where you are the MVP

and your eyes that seemed a little shifty

brightened up like stars on the blackest night

 as we stood on the sidelines

cheering you on

your “refusal” to do your work

your DEFIANCE –proves to be an obvious mask 

you are tired of just not knowing

amazingly...it lifted during

the 14 hours we spent at my house

working on your project

when I woke up

you were still awake typing

also early one morning

i saw you on a bike

riding your sister on your handlebars

and your brother on the pegs

their taxi to school-

its true nobody likes a thief

and I know you agree

but Brucey,

nobody likes poverty,

hopelessness and

let's be honest

nobody likes riding two

siblings to school

only to be late to

your own

i see you fighting

to be beautiful

but I want you to know

you … already are

our eyes just aren’t trained

to see it

but thank you Brucey

because of you

i feel beautiful too