Inheritance

Twenty bucks

If you know where he went

I don’t care what the news is

I don’t care about breaking updates

All I need is a location

And I’ll be out of your hair

You think I have a mom

To go looking for him?

You think we got a dad

Who gives a shit

About which way he went

All he has is me

And I have is him

And so I’m not going anywhere

Because I’m about at my quota

For shit I lost to the fire

So you better get on that phone

And find out where my brother is

And what he’s doing for you

Because if you got him running again

Then you’re going to need to go running

I got that boy to ninth grade

Like a sherpa up a mountain

And I’m not feeling like a landslide

So you better be on the up and up with him

You came around

Talking about mentorship

And upward mobility

And, truth be told,

I didn’t believe a word

That came out of your mouth

But I needed a damn break

So I crossed my fingers

And handed you the keys

Here’s my brother, I said

And you remember

What I said after that?

Keep an eye on him

Now I’m looking

At both your eyes

And neither one

Is on my little brother

So what are we going to do about that?

You have failed your directive

You have let

Me

Down

And I was already so low

When your sorry ass came around

That I don’t have any lower to go

And that’s bad news

For you

Because I have one thing

Left to take care of

And he’s got a goofy smile

My mother’s laugh

And my father’s bad luck

He’s my inheritance

You understand that?

He was left to me

So I might not look

All that grown up

But trust it--

I got years in me

You’re never

Gonna live

You sit here on your ratty couch

Having women bring you news of the day

And you think

You’re a man of the world

But I’ve seen men like you before

And now that I got the whole picture

I realize I should never have put

Those keys in your hand

So if anything happens

To my brother

I’m going to have to take

Whatever fault

Comes from

Petting a wolf

But when my grief over that is done

I’m coming back here

And you and I

Are going to do the business

You don’t want to do

I know sidewalk language

I know chalk drawings

I know yellow tape

And I bet you only think you do

What you do

You send others out

To handle

I handle my shit

Myself

That’s why I’m here

Handling it

So get up off that couch

And go make yourself useful

Find my brother

Because until you do

I’m your inheritance

Everybody’s gotta have somebody

Driving them crazy

Everybody’s got somebody

That somebody else

Gave to ‘em