She falls asleep first
and I lie with her older brother
a little longer,
all of us still in her bed.
He is clearly not tired,
and although he is trying to be quiet,
his thoughts dart like fish
underneath his skin,
making his body twist and wriggle.
I tell him I’m going
to have a bath,
and I’ll check on him later.
I ask him if he wants to go up
to his bedroom but he says no,
and only in the morning
does he say why,
that he feels so much lighter
after he tells her his secrets
while she sleeps.