Since @Sean Daly shared his poem and encouraged me to share mine, I guess I will. The hardest part of my brother's death is the line in the song/poem that reads "and now I'm an only child once again"... having the promise of him being there after my mom and dad and aunts and uncles were gone was a huge comfort, especially not knowing if I'll ever get married and whatever... if I didn't, I'd still have him and his family. We think someone will always be there, but nothing is promised, nothing is guaranteed, and if we remembered that in every moment we're still here, every moment we're still given a chance to live our best life, maybe we won't stay as angry with someone we love as long, maybe we'd say the words that we're embarrassed to say, maybe we'd spend more time with the people we love, maybe we'd say I'm sorry more, I love you more, maybe we'd be a better friend, a better parent, a better son or daughter, a better stranger, and maybe we'd be nicer, even to those we don't agree with. Even worse, I lost like 9 people in 6 years, my brother was the second, then I lost an aunt, a cousin, an uncle, and several friends... only one year in 6 did I not lose someone. And hopefully this year is the same. My heart can't really handle one more death, not this soon. Anyways, here's what I wrote for him and what I read over him before they pulled the plug, it's called Nobody's Safe, and nobody is, we're all going to die, it's just when... so keep those you love close, and don't let pride or ego keep you from fully loving those in your life. Nobodyβs Safe I scream into the wind but it only replies with silence I see all the horrors of this world, all the violence My tears, they suffocate me, leave no room for me to breathe Oh dear God, why did my brother have to leave? I see the shell of who he was lying on the bed Tubes, IVβs, I canβt believe heβs really dead My heart it aches, tears overflowing the dam that breaks And I realize, if the angels could take my dear good friend, then nobodyβs safe