In My Sister's House ii

How to account
for a relationship
that's easily
my strongest
but also my
most tenuous?

As with any,
the nature of it
traces back
to its origins,
and in this case,
a mutual need
and rivalry,
dependence
and independence
mark the territory
quite well,
creating a dynamic
that I cherish
but constantly
question, because
both us need it
and maybe have
outgrown it, too,
or evolved beyond it.

In my sister's house
we know how to play,
what to play, and when
the rules are broken,
we both understand,
and it hurts, and it
strains, but when
it matters, we can
overlook the problems
because we better more
the better we follow
what we know works.

As in any
relationship,
the best moments
are the ones
we could never
plan, the ones
that just happen,
that work against
the things
that work against
us.

It's a weird thing
now to visit
my sister's house,
because I know
that is no longer
mine, even though
when I am there,
it is a second house,
but a second house
is not a house,
and understanding
that is important,
and perhaps in
the knowledge of
our limits we
are better off
for it,
to work the ebb
and the flow
instead of
against it.

But in my sister's house,
I know I am always welcome,
but it is her house
and not mine, and I
am only there when
I need to be.

That's what really matters.