There She Goes

A poem written about the joys of sisterhood, for my very own sister pictured left showing toddler me how to demolish an ice cream with elegance and grace.

The rain poured as we pulled up to the station

And I couldn't help but think

The rain has showed up in solidarity

Not because it was a sad day, but because you love the rain; the absence of the scorching heat on a hazy summer day warms your soul.

And after I squeezed you tight, your small frame no match for the fierce heart beating away inside your chest, I watched you leave and thought

There she goes again, ready to make the world her own.

An adventurer at heart, you've always been planning your next steps.

London, Edinburgh, the darkest recesses of an island far away if you had your way

How lucky I am to watch you lead the way, showing me the world isn't as scary as it seems sometimes.

Last year, when I felt more determined than I ever had, I sat by the airport gate revelling in the parallels.

My sister flew thousands of miles across the world at 25 for the sheer adventure of it; I could make it a few hundred.

There she goes again, making me feel brave even when it feels impossible.

A force to be reckoned with; my fiercest protector.

I used to laugh when you called me your baby sister and joked about protecting me.

But when school felt like a prison and mean girls made me cry, I finally understood.

My sister would keep me safe: she would take care of me when I needed her.

You brushed my hair before school, and put it up in a special clip just like yours.

There she goes again, leading the way for me to follow.

We made plans to skinny dip on New Year's Eve, cackling excitedly at the rebellion of it all.

When we sat in the car with hot chocolates, killing time before the big event, I tried to trace the original idea; we've always bounced off of each other's excitement and madness.

When we were children it was an imaginary band performing 'Violet Hill'.

I still laugh each time I hear the opening bars.

We laughed as we jumped about on the pebbles after, frozen from the ice cold sea and naked from the waist down.

There we go again, facing the world together.