Blue Mountain Arts Poetry Contest

Little Sister
by Janine Faust

TwEnty-Fourth Contest
third Place

She splashes in,
all scabby knees
and muddy shins, 
wayward helmet straps
flapping in the air.
She's an unstoppable force,
considering that I'll 
never stop loving her.
She pirouettes on a rock,
jetés over a log,
and comes to rest
knee-deep in algae.
I follow her path
without complaint.
She'd make cleaning
out horse stalls a 
charming prospect,
as long as she'd
be your partner.
She slips off 
the turquoise hard hat
and swivels toward me,
hair tousled and knotted,
face shiny with sweat,
and smiles.
It's brighter than the sun
glinting off the lake,
a grin that rivals
the emerald glow
from overhead maple leaves.
And like her soul,
it's large and beautiful,
more so than the peaks
framing her in the distance.