I was the oldest of four kids. My two brothers, Billy and Ken were three and five years younger than me, and so I never was that close to either one growing up. They fought like cats and dogs, and I was usually the referee. Billy was constantly terrorizing Ken by any and every means he could come up with; Mom was constantly admonishing Billy to stop aggravating his little brother; and Ken was constantly yelling to Mom, “Mom! Billy’s aggravatin’!” This poem is typical of a summer day, and the way they were back then.
He’s Aggravatin’!
–
Mom’s in her room taking a nap
Me, I’m just trying to stay cool
It’s a hundred and ten in the shade
I wish we had a swimming pool
–
Little brothers are getting restless
A long summer with nothing to do
I smell the trouble in the air
Happens daily with these ornery two
–
It erupts without warning or word
The older one runs from the house
Little guy hot on his tail
Like a cat being chased by a mouse
–
Door slams, mom leaps from her bed
I stick my head out and give a shrug
She frowns and stands by the back door
And waits for her two little thugs
–
True to form they come busting in
Now yelling and shouting damnations
When they spot Mom, little one shouts
Hey, Mom! He’s aggravatin’!
–
Mom can’t hide the smile
As she takes them each by an ear
Says seven words that will stop a young heart
Just wait ‘til your father gets here
–
And so the excitement is over
I watch as they stare and stew
Knowing as the house grows quiet
Won’t be long ‘til round number two
–
Copyright © 1998 C. Mashburn
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Marbles In My Pocket ~ The Official Blog of Charles L. Mashburn ~ Poems, Short Stories, and random thoughts from the author of "Be Still... and know that I am God" 
Sherry Mashburn said
I LIKE this! Very good.
Jingle said
amazing flow.
lovely family scenes portrayed here.
Happy Mother’s Day to moms in your family.
charlesmashburn said
Thanks! Happy Mother’s day to all the moms in your circle, too!
Jingle Poetry said
Glad to see you join us.
Smiles.
charlesmashburn said
I think I’m going to enjoy it. Lots of talent at your site!
dswan2 said
Loved this! I have a twin brother and we were always tooth and nail. except at school and then we had each other’s back.
charlesmashburn said
I don’t think these two had each other’s back, even at school. Dad made the mistake of telling them I was their protector, so they expected ME to have their back. They tested the sstem quite regularly, too. I think I wrote a little blog piece about it. If I can locate it, I’ll link on here for you.
Thanks for the visit and comments, Donna! Much appreciated!
charlesmashburn said
Donna: These two never had each other’s back. Dad made the mistake of telling them big brother (that’d be me) was their protector. They tested the system quite often, too.
Thanks for stopping by!