Big Brother

Big Brother is a reflection on the part of us shaped by early hardship that learned to protect before we fully understood the world. It explores the idea that many of the traits we struggle with as adults were once necessary for survival. The quick anger, the walls we built, the instinct to strike fast or stay guarded were not flaws at the time, but tools that helped us endure when we were younger and more vulnerable. The poem invites us to see these traits not as personal failures, but as retired weapons. What saved us at seven can become heavy or harmful at twenty-five or thirty, not because we are broken, but because the war has changed. Instead of blaming ourselves, the poem encourages recognition, gratitude, and understanding. At its core, the poem is about growth without rejection. It honors the part of us that tried to keep us safe, acknowledges where it overreaches now, and gently shifts leadership toward awareness rather than fear. It's a reminder that healing doesn't come from silencing this part of ourselves, but from understanding it, thanking it, and allowing it to rest.