Defeater

roll on through
to the other side of town.
passed the quarry,
the river beds,
over bridges
and bunker sheds.
roll on through
to the pits and the rail car yard.
"this is where
you prove your worth."
a brother's dare,
that devil's smirk.
"oh, this is the way it will always be."
a kid brother
in the shadows
of a cold heart's legacy.
"oh, this is where we see who runs first.
it's you and me
and the train.
the steel tracks
and the dirt.
oh, you can never live up to me."
and so he stood trembling,
waiting for smoke above the trees.