For My Sister, Nancy
You were the princess of the known universe
Ponies, bows, the frilly dresses in the black & white photos
What a smile...
And I then I came along, even close onto your birthday
But you let me share the day
Even the cake, however your name always was bigger on the icing
But I never cared, it was cake after all
Then the other monkeys hard on after me
We three were a bundle of noise and activity
You were then our built in babysitter
Not your choice
You handled us with your usual teenage aplomb
You were kind enough to take me on the magic bus
To the mystical downtown
Where I could buy fantastic books of adventures far from home
You were the high school hero-sweetheart, a leader in the band
The dancer in the headdress with the feathered trail
It was allot to live up to
I never felt that I did and needed to set my own tone
We even later became partners of such and so
It got away from both of us, we traveled a far piece from our homes
The divide was wide for long while
And the bridges seemed rickety at first
But were steeled later to our surprise and delight
Your smile and laugh still lite the stars
And your words are as welcome as your presence
I'm better for you being here
And I know the road was rough for you
Daughters and husbands and lovers that were trials of fire
And pain
Always a question of doing and the path of how
The best you do is the best you can
There is no more, no less