Bleed red, I beg of you,
who lays wreck to one
and raises up another
with silver tongue, forked
Bleed red, I beg of you,
who gathered oppression in a
sewn-shut pocket, played mix-n-match
with the collectibles, their portrayals
Bleed red, I beg of you,
who split apart brothers,
each orphaned just the same
but given their own narratives
Bleed red, I beg of you,
who saw us both reach for the lifeline,
tossed me too far, up and past the clouds,
sent him sinking into the murky black waters
Bleed red, I beg of you,
who made me dependent
on the nod of approval, commendation
like shame on my shoulders
Bleed red, I beg of you,
who painted me on the bulletin so that
the claws of the green-eyed
monster turned him my brother no longer
Bleed red, I beg of you
who taught this meek voice
an altogether different fight
Knowing, divided we fall