Big Brother John

I saw John that morning, he was talking to a man.

It was a small community where everyone knew everyone,

so I wondered why I had never seen him before.

They were done talking, and I saw him hand a tiny parcel over to John.

when I asked what it was, he just flashed me one of those charming smiles

"It's nothing," he said. But how can what I just saw be nothing? I wondered.

later that evening, I saw him bent over in the backyard.

he didn't notice as I tiptoed closer, his attention was fully on the parcel as he unwrapped it.

Its content looked like talcum powder, like the one mum had bought a day before

so I thought he was going to rub it on his face

but he put it in his nose instead, and sniffed like grandma does her snuff.

When he looked at me, his eyes were bloodshot red, I had never seen them that way before.

When I asked him if he was alright, he said he had never been better.

That was the first of many times I saw him sniff that white powder.

last week, I got a call;

"Your brother is in a psychiatric hospital, he's been abusing drugs." they said.

Today I'm bringing flowers to his grave,

the nurse said it was suicide.

Over the years, I watched him go down this path of destruction,

But all he did was sniff a powder.