Kayla

I.
I was a replacement child;
Born to fill the void.
The times of sadness
Were no more.
Born in a mountainous region,
My birth brought joy to all.
The room was full of smiles,
And my grandfather was proud all the while.
He stood;
Grinning from ear to ear
As he always would
Whenever he was proud of me.

II.
I’m looking through the glass
At the world around me.
A river runs through the backyard.
The Canadian geese fill the air
With their shrill honks.
The moose stand in the middle
With their noses in the air.
They turn their massive heads
To eat the lush, green
Of the willows.
Serenity.
My home.

III.
A friend.
A teacher.
A mentor:
My sister.
A guardian.
A saint.
A blessing:
My sister.
Trusting.
Honest.
Beautiful:
My sister.


IV.
My favorite pastime:
Tennis.
Rain or shine,
You can find me on the nearest court.
Backhand.
Forehand.
Volley.
Lob.
The Wilson drifts over the net.
Into the back corner.
Victory.


V.
My bestest friend.
She’s a fighter.
A winner.
We grew up together.
We share the same mind;
The same thoughts.
Her troubles are my troubles.
If she is in pain,
I am in pain.
Her family is my family.
My family is her family.
We are sisters.

VI.
I love basketball.
The ball spins through the air;
A rainbow of sorts.
It hits the backboard.
Circles.
Endless.
All eyes fixated on the perfect ring.
Goes in.
A loud gasp
And the crowd cheers.

VII.
My grandfather’s house:
A children’s playground.
A big yellow slide
That never ends.
An old, rusting swing set against the shed
Reminds me of younger days.
The hammock, now destroyed,
Was once new
And the center of everyone’s attention.
Caught in a web,
We all giggled with joy.

VIII.
I feel like an only child.
My sister has left the house.
We were once so close,
But now she is far away.
She has a new life
With new opportunities.
The one she lives now
Is a world different than mine
With glassy skyscrapers
And heavy traffick,
But I do love my Montana.

IX.
Some might say
They love the sunshine.
I do,
However I prefer the rain.
The rain is good for lots of things:
Dancing.
Singing.
Playing basketball
(One of my favorite things to do).
It washes away yesterday
And leaves the promise
Of a tomorrow.
A new day.
Cleansed.
Fresh.
Free.

X.
Fill your cup with paint.
Any color.
You choose.
Become your character.
Absorb that color.
You are now a different person.
When you are on stage,
You are not yourself.
I love these funny anecdotes
That we must do
Before we perform
In a play.