The Morning
I’m home from my first year at college.
I hear the phone call. She passed early this morning.
We weren’t there.
She’d been sick for a long time.
It wasn’t sudden.
But we weren’t there. Is that bad?
I text my friend that I won’t be able to come out today.
We’ll have to celebrate my birthday another time.
She just passed. We have to take care of things.
I have to be there for my family.
My little sister was only just getting to know her.
She’ll only have a few memories.
And the stories we can tell.
She loved her from the start. And she always will.
But now, she’s gone.
Does she understand what that means?
For now, we’ll tell stories. So she’ll remember.
We have to take care of things.
We tell her we’re saying goodbye.
But we weren’t there. Is that bad?
She was alone. Does she know?
I’m not sure I’m ok with that.
But I have to take care of my sister.
Tell her to hold on to the memories.
We weren’t there. I hope she’ll be ok.
One Year Later…
It’s been a year. Everyone is coming again.
I don’t want to remember. But I don’t want to forget.
She’s gone. But she’s still here.
We come together to remember.
To wish for her peace.
Someone else has arrived. With a tiny companion.
Dark all over with tips of white on his feet.
He needs a home, they say.
My little sister, almost 7…holds on and doesn’t let go.
He has a home now.
She’s gone. We weren’t there.
Now he’s here. Is that ok?
I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to forget.
Now he has a home. And she’s still gone.
Is that ok?
My little sister, almost 7…didn’t get much time with her.
Now she has him.
She holds on and doesn’t let go… for another 7 years.
They’re both ok. And I’m ok with that.
We weren’t there, but she’s ok.
We’ll be ok.
