What a delight
my younger brother John
or João as he is known
in his adopted country
now that he's seventy
and I'm coming up
on seventy-eight
we're closer than we've ever been
and that despite
his living in another world
four time zones to the east
and that's the least of it
with me a small town boy
choosing to roost
in what he calls the boondocks
while he's comfortable
cooped up in the world's
seventh largest city
São Paolo
with dear Lili his Brazilian wife
still what we share
the family memories
places weve been together
our lives as husbands
fathers, grandfathers
the light-hearted humor
we both treasure
and that he excells in
and finally the choice
that we two made
despite a father's disappointment
to create
a life in music
with its challenges and gifts
now thanks to Facetime
Skype and social media
we meet across six thousand
and some miles
as if only a block or two away
and laugh about this crazy-making world
and talk of trips
places we'd like to visit
with our wives
and where we might meet up
travel together
places that beckon
like Portugal