I thank my sister for keeping

my head above the water

when the truth was like

swallowing sand—

By the Grace of God {Katy Perry}

for Lindsay

When I was 4 years old

my sister convinced me

houses started from seeds

& grew day by day

until they were life size.

When I was 6 years old

my sister convinced me

it was a brilliant idea

to roll around in the mud

until we were covered,

head to toe in filth.

When I was 11 years old

my sister convinced me

to go skinny dipping

in our backyard pool

while our parents were home.

When I was 13 years old

my sister convinced me

wearing cowboy boots & jean skirts

every day was cool.

When I was 16 years old

my sister convinced me

I was worthy of love.

Now I am 20 years old

& I realized how ungrateful I am.

Who can teach you

to make up a story

in order make life more interesting

& exuberant

& wondrous?

That sometimes the cost of

the muck

& grime

& mom’s rapid fire of angry words

is worth even a minute of adventure?

To take risks

& to be confident

& that skinny dipping is something

everybody should experience

at least twice?

Being yourself is so much more

than what you wear

or what you eat

or who you are friends with?

To love yourself more than

a collection insignificant boys

& broken promises

& late night hookups

& empty words full of lies?

Who can love you even though you

steal their favorite gray sweater

& forget to say thank you

& walk on the carpet with muddy shoes?

A sister can.

-xo