Blue Mountain Arts Poetry Contest

Of Sisters and Sharing
by Anandam Ravi

Third Contest
First Place

Little sister, you started off 
Demanding a share in everything that 
I considered my own,
My room, my toys, my parents. 
You wanted to share the 
Gifts I got for Christmas, 
And my birthday, and Easter,
My party favors and sleepovers,
You always wanted to share my friends,
My stuff, my space, my world.

And then I grew up
And you grew up
And you still wanted to share,
The game I made on my own 
That no one else wanted to play,
Silly secrets, the kind that
Are made special only
When they're shared.
The spinach and broccoli 
Off my plate when Mom wasn't looking.
The blame when we 
Both did something silly,
And only I got caught.

And now, even when we're both adults,
It's still the same story.
You still demand a share
In my fears and my fancies,
Work worries, money anxieties,
And things I wouldn't dream of telling
Another living soul.

Little sister, you taught me
What it is to share,
And what it is to receive,
You gave me
Love, joy, togetherness,
Loyalty, support, friendship,
More than I could have imagined,
More than I ever thought possible,
Much, much more than my fair share.