for my sister .

"God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight.” - Reggie White

high school . ooooh high school . we bathed each other in tears of simultaneous heartbreak . i sent my outreached palms to pull you out of his trap that had you trembling in anguish . you held on tight to my hands as condensation streamed down your cheeks . you placed one hand over another atop my heart and pushed down as hard as you could . you revived my heart when it stopped . when i dealt with heartbreak for the very first time . when my premature heart tried to lift more than the maximum . you finger painted greys in the sky ... at a time when my naive eyes were only acquainted to black & white . we made proclamations into our sky together- that we would never take that disrespect again .

who knew we would bend those play-dough proclamations in college . we fell hard into quicksand love & like a merry-go-round, we went in circles ...too fast to focus . we were so dizzy that we flew off the edge -but hand in hand, we walked away, dusting off our forgotten promise .

two winters ago, i shriveled like the trees outside my dorm window . i called you, hysterical . with frantic fears rising in my throat, i couldn't even choke the words up . "i-felt-a-lump" crashed into the receiver of my cellphone as i hid beneath my bed comforter , shaking . you brought me down to earth and calmed me . 'up north' and 'down south' decomposed because i couldn't even feel the miles of separation . i don't know why i called you first, but i know i don't regret it . you helped to heal .

now it's my turn . statistics of mortality splashed into your head lastnight ; the beeping of monitors and the cold hospital floors poured themselves into the equation . you're my sister, and to me ... you're medicine's exception . i pray for you . with spiritual drums and fog horns i temper tantrum my way into the ears of God . he has to hear me . im throwing my prayers as high as i can & that's all the science i need . we are construction workers -me and you- hardhat wearers that build each other up when life tears us down . well i clocked in last week & i'm working: brick by brick .

- SRD .

learn : http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/about_scd/