"Today I am a movie star ...
You were yesterday."
"Okay, today I will explore,
A jungle far away."

"And I live in Hollywood,
I give out autographs."
"Well, I live in Africa,
And have a pet giraffe."

"And now I am on Broadway,
And I am also on TV;
I make guest appearances,
You can appear with me."

"No, I can't. I'm sick in Africa,
And I'm very, very ill;
You must come to my bedside,
And bring a magic pill."

"You come and take good care of me,
And I'll live because of you;
I'm so glad you are my sister,
And do what sisters do."

Then, we two fall down in laughter,
My little sis and me;
Today's game is finally over,
And we end our fantasy.

There was only two years difference,
Which is not much when you're small;
It's like you have a built-in friend,
And you love her most of all.

There were times, of course, we disagreed,
Sometimes we fought and fussed;
But woe upon the outside soul,
Who dared to pick on one of us.

Right or wrong, I would defend her,
To the death I'd take my stand;
I know she'd do the same for me,
Outsiders cannot understand.

Once when we were very young,
I planned to run away;
My sister begged me not to go ...
(I can smile at this today.)

But I'd made up my little mind,
And I made it up one hill;
My sister slowly trailed behind,
(I close my eyes and see her still.)

The tears were streaming down her cheeks,
"Please don't go," my sister cried;
But I stubbornly moved on,
After all ... I had my pride.

I took another step or two,
Then she said, "I'll go tell Mom;"
That was all it took, (I guess),
For then I turned around.

I see that little tearful face,
Now in my reverie;
Then I did not know, of course,
How much she meant to me.

Well, we each grew up and did our thing,
We went out on our own;
But always we have kept in touch,
By telepathy or telephone.

I never got my pet giraffe,
Nor did I travel very far;
My sister never got in movies,
Nor became a Broadway star.

Most childhood dreams just disappear,
Most childhood dreams just disappear,
And adults accept their fate;
But I'm glad my sis is still around,
And we can still relate.

A truth our mother told us,
And this, I well remember ...
"One day your dad and I'll be gone,
But ... sisters are forever!"

Virginia Ellis
Copyright ^© 2000