SISTERS

Once we were four now we are three,

Sisters, my sisters,

You mean so very much to me.

You are the younger sisters, I the older,

I always felt I had to be stronger and bolder,

Wanted to provide you with a strong shoulder.

But I know that I haven't always been there with you,

To help you with all the loss and pain you've been through,

I wish this big sister could always protect you like I used to do.

The first time I saw my new baby sisters I fell victim to your charms,

I helped to feed you, changed you, cradled you in my young arms,

I took you for walks, played with you, tried to shield you from harms.

You were still just children when your older sisters left home,

It seemed I just turned around and from girls to women you'd grown,

How did it happen that we all travelled down such different roads?

Time passed, we all got older and continued on our separate ways,

The time between visits with my sisters turned to years not days,

I missed you, felt your absence on my heart like a weight.

We have disagreed, been unforgiving, sometimes unkind,

But, always, in times of loss each other we would find,

That is what a family does, those are the ties that bind.

Kim, together we carried the coffin of our mother,

Sue, you and I bore the weight of another,

Whose loss left only three sisters and a brother. 

The thought of spending this Christmas alone could almost make me weep,

Only a sister could know how grateful I am for these last precious weeks,

Walking, talking, laughing until my sides ached and tears rolled down my cheeks.

Laughing at our own private jokes with all of our might,

Standing on the sidewalk with my legs crossed tight,

So I wouldn't pee my pants that hilarious night!

You both know me like no other can,

My history, my memories, who I am,

You can always know that at your side I will stand.