(Not really. I just wanted a title with”fox” in it.)
Today is my sister’s birthday. “Fox” is what I call her here. She’s my kid sister, my baby sister. She is, of course neither kid nor baby. She is my touchstone, the one I trust to tell me the truth even when I don’t want to hear it. Especially then.
Our ages are far enough apart that we didn’t have awkward childhoods together competing for the same friends and choir solos. Or ages are close enough that we could start to be friends when we were still quite young. We’ve been roommates and housemates. We share the same dark and demented sense of humor. We can play flute duets together, and we kicked ass as a team when we played Rapport. She knows me fabulously well, and I’m so lucky to have her as my sister.
We are sisters. So alike and so unlike. I wrote about her at the end of 2010’s Slice of Life challenge . This year I thought I’d usher in Poetry Month by writing a poem for her. (It’s the syllable pattern of a Zeno poem but not the rhyme scheme. I wrote it before I remembered there was a rhyme, and by then I liked what I had, so…)
This is our soul-deep sister-love,
me, her, we, us.
Sister.
Friend.
My heart holds her.
She is
all
the love, laughter,
faith I
need.
__________
So the Slice of Life Story Challenge 2012 has ended. I made it through a month of posts (yes, by the absolute skin of my teeth, but through all the same). I am so grateful to Stacey and Ruth for creating this challenge and keeping it going. This year I might just have to credit the challenge for saving my blog. And I have the challenge to thank for introducing me some wonderful new bloggers and reacquainting me with the wonderful bloggers I’ve met in slicing challenges past. I don’t know if I’m ready for a month of writing poems, but I’m certainly feeling more like a blogger tonight after this month of slicing. Happy fifth anniversary, and thanks, everyone!
See all of today’s slices at Two Writing Teachers.
if you want kin, you must plant kin ... 
I’ve gained a great deal from reading your writing this month. Beyond the depth of your posts, they are always crafted with skill and sensitivity to the sounds and rhythms of language. Thanks.
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Thank you, Paul. I’ve gotten so much from reading your blog this past month and from reading your comments here. So happy SOLSC introduced me to you!
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But I often am in a henhouse of merry fandom ladies so the title is kind of accurate. 🙂
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Alright then, perfect! 🙂
Happy birthday!
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Congrats on completing the challenge yet again! You should be so proud of yourself.
Sounds like a special relationship you have with your sister. I like that you noted the difference in your ages was just right. It’s something I think about often when contemplating having a second child.
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I think there are all kinds of arguments for how far apart to have children. My brother and I are two years apart, which is a spread a lot of people like but which I would say is too close. My brother and I are great friends today, but it definitely wasn’t always so.
Thank you for creating this wonderful challenge. I’ve enjoyed being part of it every year!
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Oh, yes. I had to stop by and say thanks. Thanks for all of your thoughtful comments this month. It meant so so much to me. I wish I could give you a hug! I’m looking forward to slicing with you more on Tuesdays, and “hanging out” here with you a little more… (Now that I’m not writing every day, I hope to have more time to read and comment!)
🙂
marika
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Thank you, too, Marika! I’ve “met” so many great new voices this month. I look forward to checking in on Tuesdays!
~Stacie
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