A FULL CIRCLE

Once upon a time I wrote a small poem, or shall we say a rhyming confession for my sister and published on one of my free web sites. I remembered her words and her reaction to this in her email that she sent to me.

It touched me so greatly. But I should add to this because now I see that what I felt and saw at that time of the writing became so much more real, when as a Monarch butterfly she really opened up and I could see the glory of her whole being in the essence of a real mother, yet she has no children of her own, she has dedicated herself to so many other children, whose parents most likely have no clue as to how lucky they are. I can say gladly that I had just a few teachers that I can say were my "Daphne's" and who really had an ever lasting impact on my life in such an impressive and motherly way. It is obvious that she picked this up from my mother and father who in their way nurtured us into the arts and free thinking ways.

Following is my sisters email that she sent to me in response to my small admission in the form of a free web page poem.

Dear Chris:

Well, I can honestly say that that is the first time in a long time you made me cry. Thank you. It goes without saying that no one has ever done that before. What a gift. Thank you.

Love,
Daphne

This is what I wrote at that time and as I read it, it is so much more real today than it was at the time.

MY SISTER DAPHNE

Now that my mother and father are in great need of guidance and nurturing... I see now that we have come full circle.

My sister has always been a guide and counselor since she was so young. Although we boys were quiet an annoyance we had her as our guide and god help us as a counselor in a few ways that were not so easy.

We didn't understand why she seemed to have things better than us, actually we had things better than her, that it seems is the penalty of being first born. Who would think that one day the little batton twirling girl would be coming full circle to give back the attention that her parents gave her when she was so young.

We were six and us boys made our mark with kids galore, but my sister like her father had so many more children, term after term, year after year. Now my sister really has her antithesis of bearing children... she is bearing my Mother and Father's as a birth of her own. She is nurturing, caring and making no friends as a real mother does for her brood. She is fighting, with tears and tragedy mixed with feelings of imminent change with the dread of tomorrow what it might or might not bring. She is the eldest, our sister who cares by instinct and is driven by sheer purpose of being the eldest and first of several offspring.

How to you remember a sister?

As NO. 2# it is not so difficult. WHO IS DAPHNE? I am her shadow, and I shall tell you my story.

Daphne is the first child of a dream couple Donald and Bonita Richardson. Both, almost, only children, they dreamed to have what they didn't have. Brothers and sisters. My father's sister was so much older, that he didn't really feel the same things that we (brothers) felt towards our sister (DAPHNE). In essence, my father was an ONLY child.

My mother was also an ONLY child. She had a very different childhood. This is great, beacuse, different is great. Different, made us! We don't know too much, as she isn't in the mood to share so much. But we imagine that she was just like us. Searching, Wondering, Thinking.....

Well, Daphne was more a product of mom and dad than any of us. WHY? Because she was the FIRST OF THE FIRST, When dreams are DREAMS and moms and dads are ready and roaring to make their mark on this planet. Actually, as I was second, I was also a benefactor of the NUVEUAX RICHE syndrome.

BUT, what do I remember of Daphne. This is almost the TRUTH and a poem.

Big Brother Daph

A sister par none, she was really the one.

Nobody had her like we did. She was the best in every class we passed and could never be..

Be you Daphne's brother, was this a blessing?

They would touch you with these new and wondering words. Who? This my sister before me, that her name and deeds made for me an approach?

But, whoa, unto me and my following brothers, that I or we should not do as well, which I shall admit was always the case, she being so much above us below as was our fate.

As like a marathon, she miles ahead, we miles behind, What to do? As it was to become, TWO families, one ahead and one behind we are the boys who would always behind reside!

What I remember, was her incredible abilities, which were a foreboding phantom.

She could twirl the baton and march to a beat with a cadence yet we could ever reach.

She could read like a wizard books to no end, one after the other pages and pages with great understanding, such that we could only pretend to know, just lying in other words so slow.

Her grades were so high that our ears couldn't hear the high notes of "A" but the gurgle of "C's" which we had in no shortage as it was there to be.

Our paths did they widen, hers afar and ours so abrupt, that we should never see so much as we slept.

Yet our sister remained an Icon of hope that we too someday would learn to feel that the order of things would be gained at great zeal.

Just as we had learned our lesson so true, that Daphne was for us what we wanted to feel and that to be so true.

What it is to be challenged, so charged with force and pushing ahead with so great of force, That she was!.

That is what we learned from our Daphne, she being the eldest, that no greater test may there be of one's own demeanor, that we should be of a good a force as hers was to be.

Study, learn, follow and lead, that is what she did with so great of steadfastness. A camp counselor, a teacher a friend and poet, she met the best and made them her friends as was their tenderness following.

We only stood back and watched as we did.. But observed as we did her great deeds and efforts, this gave us a goal that we should follow with courage and determination, but at a distance with no loud yearnings.

Daphne, our sister she blazed a trail that we should see as we went our own way to see back and anchor our thoughts so as not to stray so far away from what is strong and solid that mom and dad taught to the first born, even though she be a she....a Daphne!