Sisters

I tied your shoes while you sat and watched the rain
Hands folded across your lap, and the dull look of peace across your face
Mom down the hall, Bible pressed to her chest
She swore the Devil hides in everything, and her room was the only safe haven
left
She watched us grow through window panes
Something in the middle
Something in the middle
Something in the middle
Something’s in the way
You had held my hand while the wind whistled nocturnes in the dark
Something in the middle
Something in the middle
Something in the middle
Something’s in the way
Never knew what it meant to be whole and free
Something in the middle
Something in the middle
Something in the middle
Something’s in the way
Neither one of them mocks if we steer from paths only they can see
But sink or swim is all they say
Your hand rode the wind out the window of the train
We slept in our seats with our knees curled beneath our dirty chins
Dad gripped the bags like they might fly away
And the scenery beyond the glass was liquid, we sat and soaked it in
I felt your breath along the way
I’d hold your hand when the sky fell apart
And you’d hold my hand if you felt me slipping back into the dark
Can’t tell from the ground if the sky will fall
Can’t tell from the sky if there’s anybody down there at all
It’s empty hands and empty plates