The Sister

A shelf of memories adorns a stucco wall

Adjacent portraits of younger years

And a trophy case housing gold and silver

Moments forever captured in time

Yet none belonging to the solitary figure

Slumped in a corner with a shaky finger

Hesitating to pull the trigger

Of the gun pressed to her temple

 

She was the black sheep

With nothing except failure

Attached to her name

Always living in her sister’s shadow

And never able to identify as anything other than

The sister

 

The crack of a bullet rings out

And with it a spray of blood

Adding new features to stucco

Portraits of younger years

And a trophy case housing gold and silver