“The Roller Coaster of Sisterhood”

Samantha
St. Mark’s Lutheran School
St. Louis County, Missouri

Sisters.
      Some days I’d like them to disappear.
              Other times I just want them to stay and talk.
                  They know just the right moments for everything,
                  whether it’s to comfort me,
            get on my nerves,
      or tell me that inside joke that they know will make me smile.

 They might frame me for something I didn’t do,
        but I know I’d do the same.
               We fight.

                But it’s easy to forget our feelings of frustration
            when we freestyle dance in the basement,
         do art with each other,
    or laugh contagiously while we share our funny stories.

  Our relationships move like roller coasters,
       speeding from high points to low points
             at the most unexpected times.
                   Our routines plateau at the top,
                      only to plummet down
                        yet another steep hill.
                       And, even when we add the sharp twists,
                    the dark tunnels,
               the upside down turns,
           and the nauseous feeling of our stomachs dropping on the slopes,
       we still love each other.

      But, like the real thing,
              the roller coaster of sisterhood
                   is an adventure.
                    Once it’s over,
                you want to get back on,
            buckle your seat belt,
        and enjoy the ride again.

This time with your hands up.