Pleas from An Older Sister
Location
Golden amber drips over the supple rising of skin
Made crisp by the summer’s sun, droplets catch in the curves of her lashes
“Never” floats through the breeze
“Never, never, never. Why don’t you ever play fair?” The final word goes on for miles
Legs squeeze tightly together as fingers clench wood beneath her knees
Tori’s curls whisk away a single tear.
Sydney sits below her, cross-legged on the grass, clovers made airborne every few moments
Her face becomes an anxious red
Sydney’s wick is lit and just as quickly goes out in explosion
Her mouth flitters up and down, but the screams are hollow.
Tori stares at toes curled over the rudimentary wooden fence,
She remains as cotton stone in place until the shouts subside
Arms rise with gesture loving.
Sydney stands and squeezes her sister at once
Tori squeezes her little sister