My Little Golden Book of Phobias

seethe

my brother came in during the night
he had no head
he had no arms or legs
he dangled his feet
first he was laughing
then a bit of shouting

you are not allowed to wrangle with mace
if my brother were here he would beat you up
he would chase you away
we left the orange out until it became a boat
we found some oars and paddled to the middle

my brother swam after us
he couldn't catch us because of his feet
he didn't have any feet
confessional poetry is humorous
that's why we are mute when my brother appears

can you wrap this up for me
I want to take it home
you are really very smooth
you remind me of my brother when he was sober
references to heaven or purgatory have been redacted

honey, I never told you about my brother
there was nothing to tell
he had my father's hands
he wore braces when he was 12
can you see him now?