Command and Conquer My dad and my big brother used to
And mommy learned a little, too
play command and conquer
Because when the tumour came back
On the kitchen counter
She’d say things like
And I could watch, steeped below
“I love you”, and “I’m doing well”
Catching big, violent men making
And she always had a smile
moves and invading
Dad must have forgotten what he
And my dad would talk strategy
taught,
And Ali would his nod head
Because sometimes he slipped out,
Mommy wore a du-rag
“Jad, I don’t know what to tell you”
And blew out the candles on
So I got floats and learned to swim
birthdays
I learned how to talk fast
She’d make it to 40
How to make friends
And 41
And how to sit politely in a waiting
And the tumour would go away
room
She always chose kisses
I got better at all the little things
And told you to love your brother
Like how to decode a smile
And she’d ask if I wanted to eat bacon
Or walk on the tips of your toes
or not
I’d ask questions like,
Because she believed I had a right to
“Is Santa real?”
choose faith
“And did the chicken come first?”
And big, violent men applauded
And Ali would say,
And sometimes they yelled
Without a flinch,
And I got good at watching
That it was the egg
I’d watch Lord of the Rings, and
That fat red men didn’t come down
video-games
chimneys
Swords and goblins and grand
And that God couldn’t be real
dragons
I got good at catching fists with my
Ali never flinched
face
But sometimes I got a little scared
And clawing out people’s ears
He passed down some strategy
I practiced the dirty tactics
Little notes
And I’d watch
Like when to pivot or make a noise
Because you learned things
When to strike
Like how dad always had a beer in his
Or when to hide
hand
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