she was my sister and only blood
from the moment we met at sixteen
she'd been a family secret until then
as if her DNA was somehow unclean

yes, a sister after so many years
and we shared so many traits
from our Italian hair to our eyes to our oddly
six foot tall little gaits

a bear hug, an unconditional sigh
were what mattered most
to our sisterly eyes
both brown like our dad's
round and searching, eagerly clad
oh how i wish more years we'd had

to be sisters after so many years
to share our many traits
to wear our Italian hair and eyes and
to shuffle in our odd six foot tall gaits

but when she died a man saw our ruin
why did he have to ask?
why did he not ever learn?

a man who'd lost a wife
instead lost his mind
and asked for this sister's hand
as if it were his, not mine

so no more sister after so many years
she died and so did those traits
good-bye Italian hair and eyes and
good-bye six foot tall matching gaits

good-bye to a form of innocence
of which we are only once-blessed
and
good-bye little sister...me
no more questions left to ask