Protector

My sweet little 
super little 
baby brother.

I want to hold him in my arms,
dress him in tiny little trousers made of polystyrene,
a teeny little T-shirt made of bubble wrap.

I want to put a mini bike helmet on him,
mini armbands, mini elbow protectors, 
mini knee protectors, mini wrist protectors.

I want to build a fort around his bed,
I want to give him three, four – no, five – guard dogs 
and a gaggle of guard geese too.

I want to protect my baby brother.

But first, with all that crying,
it’s my own ears
I need to protect.