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
