The Stardust Brother

He is falling even as
the sun shines though it is
no longer summer   he has
been falling from childhood
scraping knees stealing bikes
playing tag       falling through
constellations     of ice-rimmed
windows of peacocks
and magpies he is falling away      
into gangs huddled
on street corners with
flashing needles razor
tongues falling for the boy
on the blue scooter
who fed him quaaludes until
he could no longer       feel
the tips of his fingers
his hands mould   his lover’s
body all his youth falling  
as he looks away  from
the Christian brothers
who taught  Greek Latin
sins of the flesh still falling     
orbiting family    he sees
his sister his brother pass him
they are falling too    falling
into a sky so bright it hurts     
the blue beneath so deep he is
falling      layer      by layer
taking the world with him