“The Death of Superman’s Brother”

Published in The New Plains Review: Fall 2023 edition, The Death of Superman’s Brother is a heart-wrenching poem depicting the pain felt after losing my father to a 6 year battle with cancer. One of my first memories of being truly terrified was when a tornado was set to pass through my town in New Jersey in the early 2000’s. A tornado in NJ was unheard of, and my only association with the destructive monsters of nature was from movies and comics where they decimated buildings and cities. To quell my tears though, my father picked me up, held me close, and assured me not to worry; that if the tornado were bold enough to touch down, he would have no problem stopping it, being Superman’s brother. That secret he shared built up the imagery that was only reinforced by years of feats of superhuman strength, that my dad may truly have been who he said he was. Seeing my best friend and closest confidant fight, struggle, and eventually pass on truly felt like the world was crashing down to its end with my fallen hero.