Bird Among the Hollyhocks
I had a little brother named Joe. He was born in summertime, and we spent many July afternoons playing among the flowers in our mom’s garden. Hollyhocks were one of our favorites.
As Joe grew up, he played piano and built computers, but struggled to find friends. He was autistic and felt like he didn’t belong at times. He sent me a card while I was away at camp one summer—it said, “I miss you.” The card was a print from a lacquer carving of two birds perched in a hollyhock bush.
The winter after his 25th birthday, my brother ended his life, and I lost my little buddy forever. His death felt so devastating and final; I began searching for ways to honor his life and keep his memory close.
The art from the card he sent me all those years ago now lives on my left shoulder. It is comforting to have a beautiful representation of my brother’s story always with me—a bird among the hollyhocks.