the grace house

below the little house

at the top of the hill

are cottonwood trees

that cast shadows

across the silvery road

and for a moment they

hide all of the reasons

that I am driving

to the house

• • • • •

my sister’s hugs

have always been

the perfect balance of

fortress and lighthouse

comfort and strength

when I walk in the door

her excitement is soft

and she smiles

• • • • •

the guest room is

full of rosy light and

plump, gray pillows

Lucy wags her tail

and crowds my feet

as I leave all the reasons

in my suitcase

• • • • •

William has a red box

full of small Legos

that we dump out all

over the master bed

red, yellow, and blue

against white blankets

and he always wants

a house or a bike

• • • • •

Gus wobbles on tiny legs

sometimes giving up

to crawl even faster

other times he hugs

my legs tightly for

just one moment as

he walks by me in a

small second of needed

love amid play

• • • • •

two dainty, white cups

live beside the stove

after bubble baths and

bedtime stories my

sister fills them with

steaming water and as

the peppermint steeps her

husband smiles goodnight

• • • • •

our words mingle

together with the tea

and the cups make soft

clicking sounds

we’ll do this more than

once in the calm of the

night and unpack all

of the reasons

• • • • •

I have reasons for coming

and she for asking me to

but they all gather close

in a cup of herbal tea as we

transfuse both wisdom and

a special love that exists in

the realm where others don’t

• • • • •

she is older than me

but often asks for wisdom

I simply wish that

I could hold the soft

strength and love that

she protects me with

• • • • •

in the cool grace of her

home my sister repacks

all of my reasons

but now they are rose gold

instead of midnight blue

I help her weed the beds

of her reasons and reposition

the sun

• • • • •

she planted bits of lavender

that quietly spread until the

garden mists with purple sprigs

she presses her hands together

tightly and smiles proud and

happy excited for the growth

William does that, too

• • • • •

she holds a depth that is

similar to my own

a universe attempting to

fit inside flesh and bone

the spaces have collided

but know now that they

extend one another