My Brother Likes to Pretend He's Gandhi

My brother likes to pretend he’s Gandhi
His fingers used to wring my neck
If ever I bad-mouthed him
He’d preach the ills of the earth
Yet would practice them daily
My brother seems to think I’m stupid
Oblivious to all that he does
He seems to think I don’t care
Or that I want to care
Or that I just don’t understand
My brother thinks I don’t understand
But I understand better than him
My brother likes to pretend he’s Gandhi
He likes to imagine that he’s perfect
That he’s a martyr
My brother once slept in the bed of a stranger
And they never knew
My brother is a dirty-mouthed bastard
Who hates us all
I used to look up to him
But now I must condescend
Because my brother likes to ruin our lives
And act like we don’t understand