Climb

Remember when we hung a rope ladder on the monkey bars, and thought we'd make money charging the other kids to climb?
We stood proudly below, alone but side-by-side
Too small to even climb it by ourselves,
we held it for each other, taking turns until our hands were sore and raw
We scaled the building by the water fountain, shimmying up electrical boxes and ignoring the adults who told us to get down
We knew better, we were safe, we were together — who needs friends when you have a brother?
We spent hours in the cabinet above our closet, inlaid with nap mats and the sounds of pretend
Looking back, we spent a lot of time climbing
Now you're drafting
And when I meet your high school classmates, they say being your sister is my claim to fame
I pretend that I'm offended
but secretly I'm proud

to see how high you've climbed, even if it means I'm left behind

twilight musings

Begging the night to stay, I cling
to the dripping sky, gripping the edges
of the black blanket tight
but it seeps through my fingers, leaving sparkles
on my skin. A consolation prize
from the stars tearing free — tearing me —
as they slide. The sun dares to rise,
despite my cries, and I cringe
in the soft burning light, a pink twinge of day
invading the deep peace of night.
A sprinkle of mist kisses my bruised flesh
and the breeze brushes its hand through my hair,
like a gentle caress.
Where is the strength? Pick up the pace.
Blow me away,

like dust in the wind. It's not that I want to die, 
but oh, to drift free, like a piece of the sky

From Beyond

Words itch beneath your skin, trying to break free
Stop drowning your mind if you want the poetry to breathe
Stop shoving music through your ears like conch shells do the sea
Just cut the words loose. But you're too afraid to bleed

Walking in the world, you remember what it's like to breathe
Humanity dances, painting the canvas of earth
In each other's arms, vulnerable lovers are unafraid to bleed
Their smiles and softness prove that they value their worth

Alone in your room, though, you can't paint the canvas of earth
You've no pretty colors; your palette is messy and gray
Try as you might, you struggle to value your worth
And sit there in silence, unmoving, with nothing to say

Today the dripping sky is messy and gray
It's not like the moon, shining silvery way up above
You wish for once that you had something to say
To smother the silence, to fill the world with words made of love

I hope you know that I'm with you, though I'm way up above
If you knew that, maybe you wouldn't yearn to break free
I hope that they find you, my words made of love
And when they do, they hold you, like conch shells do the sea