Use for a dead brother
by Andrea L. Alterman


Although he isn’t dead yet,
not for lack of provocation,
he does ask me what I’d do
with dead younger bother.

Stuff him and then
use him as my passenger
in the HOV lane,
or take him out for dinner,
he’d be a cheap date,
we’d never disagree,
he’d always listen to me.

I’d store him upright
with blocks of cedar
to keep him fresh,
change his clothes
while making sure
his shirt stays tucked in,
he isn’t wearing stripes
and plaids together.

Perhaps I need
to make a date
with the taxidermist
first, before my brother
becomes inanimate
or starts to decay.

I’ll see if there’s
a pay as you go
plan to stuff a dead,
pesty, annoying,
but finally useful
dead brother.






Copyright © 2024 by Red River Review. First Rights Reserved. All other rights revert to the authors.
No work may be reproduced or republished without the express written consent of the author.