Suzy

A birthday poem for my baby sister, days late, and still not quite right, but sometimes words fall short. I love you!

at five i was thinking

chubby cheeks and curly Qs

when mom sticks a bald monkey on my lap,

birthmark islanded between its squinched eyes.

it took days for classic gerber baby to settle in

and years from stinky diaper pail to worth my while.

you worked my imagination. i kept opening doors too fast.

who would we be without each other?

life has fused us, entwined fossils in amber;

65 years. we can count our disagreements on one hand,

and measure our devotion in light years.