Writers Abroad Magazine Issue 7 November 2017 | Page 4

WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE: THE THIRD SPACE
MY BROTHER AND I
BY Bieke Stengos
My brother and I
were small then
but never so small
we didn’t feel the weight
of caring for the little ones
Becoming horses
on walks by the sea
where beach sand
driven by wind
lashes our legs
where the spray of waves
coats our lips with salt
and when it rains
we play cards indoors
letting them win
to please our mother
But when the sun came out
we ran towards the receding water
gathering the sound of surf
in our wide embrace
Bieke is no longer a member of Writers Abroad following the death of her brother earlier this
year to whom this poem is dedicated.
3 | NOVEMBER 2017