Little Brother

 Awwww, thanks guys! I've been trying to write this poem for 4 years now. I'm so glad you guys like it.

I'll give you the story. Maybe it'll make for a good short story one day:

My brother was stillborn 4 years ago. I was 20 and living in Houston while my mom was living in Ponchatoula, LA; a 6 hour drive from me. In the second half of my mother's trimester, she found out he had Trisomy 18 or Edward's syndrome: a chromosonal disorder akin to Down's Syndrome or Trisomy 21. Almost 100% of children will suffer severe mental retardation, congenital heart defects, malformations of the digestive tract, severe bone growth retardation where the bones in the hands and feet will fuse together, and many other defects. Babies with Trisomy 18 have a 5% chance of surviving to 1 year. Most are stillborn, like my brother Jake. He was born 4-6 weeks early and my mom felt him die 2 weeks prior in her womb. I remember her calling me to tell me she couldn't feel him anymore. Once she called me when she went into labor, I got in my car and made the 6 hour drive to see him born, but 30 minutes after my mom went into labor he came out. My mom kept his body for me to hold when I finally made it. I can't explain it. Here he was this beautiful, perfect little boy. Looking at him you wouldn't be able to tell he had Trisomy 18. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open. At any moment I kept expecting him to cry, but he didn't. I stayed that night in the hospital with my mom. From there everything was a blur. There was a funeral service for him, and my mom had him cremated so that when she passes away, she wants my brother, sister and I to spread both of their ashes over the Grand Canyon so she can finally see her baby.