I Saw My Little Brother
Ana Stevenson
About the Author:
Ana Stevenson is a writer living and working in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of St. Thomas, where she previously studied philosophy. Her work has been published in the Summit Avenue Review and Written Tales Magazine.
I Saw My Little Brother
walking into the Thai restaurant
when I was leaving my apartment for the night.
He was wearing the white Nikes I bought him
for his 22nd birthday with my first real paycheck.
I’d never seen him there by himself
or by himself anywhere since I left home.
But there he was across the street, in ancient sneakers,
picking up fried rice and wontons and slouching
like he was playing with Hot Wheels, driving them
under the coffee table overpass, over the rolling hills
of the dog’s back. I barked his name as loud as I could,
urgent as a shepherd. He ran to meet me, dodged
the hungry cars that filled the gulping street
and beep-beeped like they did when he was three.
He asked about the apartment. I live here now, I said,
but I was just leaving. Let’s get a beer sometime soon,
my brother said. He hugged me with his grown up arms
and I choked, and instead of saying lets
play cowboys on our bikes I just said I love you.