In Memory of My Brother | David Schmeikal, Poet

Around this time I lost my brother.

He was murdered actually. It's tough some days and like most of us, we wear our regrets and emotions like chains most can't see.

I choose not to. I choose to be open about it. There is power and freedom there. I've forgiven the person who pulled the trigger, most say they can few really do. I've been able to forgive because I was willing to listen and understand.

My brother fought with mental illness for most of his life, like so many others and feeling alone. The reality is we are all one or two traumatic experiences away from our own mental illness. We are fragile creatures, we all just want to be loved, heard and understood.

Yet so often we hold onto these moments and do not let go. Like a monkey who gets trapped and caught because he won't let go of the banana, we let our pride and our justifications for why we must hang on trap us indefinitely.

You also get to let go.