Mum. Unedited.

As I drive over the Bridge I look over to the east. I roll my windows down The wind rushes through my veins And I become one with sea and sky. Breathtaking.  Time slows down  Almost to a standstill. This moment will last forever, In my picture memory. I know I am close now. I take the second exit on the North Shore. The Pacific Highway. The Ocean Road.  Such a grand name. Past the roundabout and the giant fig trees The road curves up the hill.  Tall buildings on the cliff peer down at me.  They recognise me.  My heart quickens. I love this familiarity. This Road - I will never forget.  I have seen it a thousand times. On a sunny day, in the rain and the fog.  I have driven it a countless times,  In my mind, with you. I take the narrow street up the hill.  Cars parked on both sides Leaving room for only me.  I squeeze through.  Only steps away from you now.  I look over to the skyscrapers of the City.  Always standing....

My brother died last July. He was 37. He was climbing a mountain in Switzerland. A large rockfall took down both him and his guide. They fell nearly 700m. To their deaths. Or at least I hope so. It took emergency personnel 9 hours to rescue them, so I hope they weren't lying on the mountain in their broken bodies waiting for life to leave them. This was his second attempt at the mountain. Life doesn't give you second chances. He should've known that. I didn't mean that. One life fades... Death is certainly all the cliches you hear, and more. In one moment everything can be different. Except it's like that for every moment. We are just too busy to notice. I still have all his bags and climbing gear, posted back to me from Chamonix, sitting in my son's wardrobe waiting patiently to be unpacked. I can't even let go of the postage stamp. I did have to go through his suitcase to pull out the 4 blocks of Italian chocolate from Torino. The chocolate...