I haven't lost my sister.

I haven't lost my friend.

They say we are the lucky ones

and expect the pain to end.

They say it could be worse,

flood my mind with others' sorrow.

They fail to realize that each day

we fear the fires of tomorrow.

So it's not cancer.

So she's not dead.

So what she could spend the rest of her life

in the confines of her bed?

"I'd die for that diagnosis,"

they smile and they joke

and fail to realize, slowly

our world fills up with smoke.

I haven't lost my sister,

but this is still a fight.

A struggle, a vein of icy tears

to keep us up at night.

So the worst has yet to happen.

We'll be ready when it does.

But does that mean I can't mourn

what her life once was?

I haven't lost a sister.

I know I never will.

But please remember to be gentle-

we are suffering still.