“Sacrifice” © Thomas Riesner

 

Liar

Liar Liar
“I’m fine, bud, don’t worry”
He says, though my mind remains a-flurry.
It’s not right, it’s not right
Day and night, he’s no better,
He’s not getting worse, but this does not fetter;
My worries, my concerns, the sight of him dying
Dying slowly, all the while, of his health he is lying.

Liar Liar
He is stubborn, and prideful,
To a fault, of course, and damn-near-if-not suicidal.
Worry, worry.
What do I do? For my brother and myself,
And if I can, for him too.

Liar Liar
“It’s fine bud, don’t worry” he says, with exasperation,
My worries, my woes, met with abnegation.
Anger, lies, though malice is lacking
The bills come on in, I worry of packing.

Liar Liar
Help comes, and woes of money leave
But for him, for my dad, though he’s here, still I grieve;
His condition is worse, I must remain wary
All while he watches “Little House On The Prairie”

Liar Liar
“I’m fine!” He exclaims, as he hacks up a lung
Metaphorically, of course, though his anger still stung.
Medication, medication, take five a day,
Now six, now four; there’s no pattern per se.

Liar Liar
Halloween Halloween, a frightful time of year
But my concern above all, is disposing of beer
He can’t drink, he can’t! He must think of his liver
I turn on a heated blanket, for I’d seen him shiver

Liar Liar
“Fine! I’ll go” He says, as he finally breaks
It might be too late, but high are the stakes.
Beverly, Burlington, hospital grounds
Maybe now it’ll happen, maybe now he’ll come around

Liar Liar
“I’ll be out of here soon” he says, though mistaken
We talk, I reason, but he stays unshaken
It’s December now, the semester has ended
He’s still in the hospital, overextended

The lies stop; it’s over, he’s now at rest
The battle is lost, we all did our best.
He fought, to the end, but he fought us too
For my brother, and I, I must see this through.
No lies, no more, he will know the truth
I’ll see that it happens, even if it’s uncouth

 

Nicholas Leahy is a student at Salem State University, majoring in English. “I’m also an older brother, proud of and responsible for my younger brother Kevin.”

Thomas Riesner: “I was born in Leipzig,Germany in 1971 and I still live here today. Already in elementary school I often painted “abstract” instead of the given concrete drawing. I later retained this style or changed it to “abstract figuration ” I painted a lot at home, always without professional guidance. I didn’t have any specific role models. When I start a picture, I only have a certain idea, but often something completely different emerges. I would describe myself as an outsiderart artist.”