Eighteen

Eighteen - I haven't seen her for four months
	 and probably won't for at least six more.

		Don't do anything irrevocable.
		Live dangerously.
		Walk alone at night, but carry mace.  And a whistle.
		Eat a lot of chocolate.
		If you're going to skip classes, do it for a good cause.
		Boyfriends can be a very good cause.
	
What do you say to a sister
in a family
you haven't spoken to in months?

		I don't regret anything.
		Well, I do, but I wouldn't change anything.
		If you do something you regret, come live with me.
		We'll eat lots of chocolate.
		Walk on cold Chicago beaches.
		Cry a lot.

You can pick your friends
but not your family.
I pick you.
Finally.

		And no matter what our mother says
		only death is irrevocable.

*****
M.A. Mohanraj
March 21, 1994
(for my sister, the one I never got along with, on her birthday)