Sister, these are my promises to you

I promise that when they call you small

I will take you to the top of a mountain

So you can see that in fact

We all are

I promise that when you whine that it’s cold

I will take you to the north pole

To remind you

It could always be colder

I promise that I will draw clouds

On the backs of your hands

So that your head will always be above them

And your feet always below

I promise that when you feel overwhelmed

I will buy you high heels to keep you on your toes

Plus, god knows

You’re the only one of us who can walk in those things

I promise that when it snows

I will take photographs of our footprints

Because I want you to remember that the steps you take

The things you do

Make an impact

I promise I will tie a string

between your ankle and mine

So you always know that

I could never leave you

No matter how hard the wind tries to blow me away

I will stand by you

Because I love you

And because I promised I would

And I don’t break my promises

Zoe Lachter

Age ?14, Grade ?9

Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts