The Pledge

My little brother comes home
and pulls a test out of his bookbag.


He didn't do so well on it.


And this kid, he beats himself up.
He gets anxious and worries and
makes himself sad. 


It's horrible.


He's 9. He has better things
to do than make himself
sick with anxiety
(that's my job). 


So he gets sad and he cries.
He studied. Hard. I watched,
I tried to help.
He knew what he was doing.
But he gets test anxiety,
and some things were not
on the study guide he was 
given. 


My parents
can't really 
communicate.
At all.
Especially not
with matters involving
the greater scheme
of life.


They are faulty in their phrasing,
weak in their consolation
and consultation.


So I talked to him.
(It was like one
of the bonding scenes
straight outta Hollywood, folks)


We both ended up crying, actually.
Because we're so similar- we
get worked up and stressed out
about school.


I tried to give him perspective.
He's good at other things,
he works hard,
he really actually knows 
what he's talking about.


He's a good guy.
And I believe in his ability.
He needs to know someone does.
He needs some more support.


We talked for a while,
I tried to tell him
that life is bigger
than tests in school.
That he is not a horrible person,
that he is smart and will
do ok in life.
He has other strengths,
and things come with time.


Then I hugged him
and we tried to stop crying
and return to our 
normally scheduled lives.