meg is around and she's cute   she teases me   she even makes me blush   

her big sister ellen tolerates her   is used to her   i find her charming   

she makes me feel older   in a teen-agery way   maybe big-sister-ish   

having no sister of my own   i am shy to her   she knows more than i   about me 

it is in her eyes   assessing   she doesn't rationalize the way her parents do     

the way they use religion as an excuse for their mild bigotry

to cast me in a dark light with a brand of logic i don't understand  

ellen and i have yet to figure out what it is between us   we are in the magic zone

her grey eyes and my quietude are starters   and the dancing   

and the other   who knows the why of it   i wonder what will become of meg

as she throws off the yoke of her family   i already see it happening

though she is only thirteen   she is thinking   watching   taking notes 

the way she turns around without a word when she sees too much   

loses that much more innocence because of us   our indiscretion

`