I watch her, just a little girl
sticking her hands out the window of the moving car
experiencing the world on her own terms
for the first time
figuring out that maybe, just maybe
the rules don’t apply
I remember when I too was just
a little girl
sticking myself out proverbial windows
experiencing the forbidden joys
of dirt on my skin
nights under the stars with strangers
the thrill of holding my body over the edge
weightless
ropeless
the reckless joy of being
my own safety net
the freedom of realizing
that maybe They, with all their rules
though well-meaning
may not be right
that maybe the song my heart sang
wild, so wild, beautiful and true
independent
might be the one
I could listen to
and not be wrong
only Different
and so I smile at her unexpected joy
this little girl, my sister
her hand riding the wind like
a small, young songbird in the breeze
trying flight for the first time
I smile and say–
stick your head out the window,
and see how that feels
she grins
and there she goes.