He was always there growing up.
Chlorine in our hair, innocence in our hearts,
Laughter surrounding us and nothing but hopes and dreams.
Evil was the big kids at the playground
And that was as much as we knew.
There he was in the kitchen with his big kid friends,
There he was teasing us all day
And it was comforting.

He was always there growing up.
She looked up to him like any younger sister would.
A brother and sister bond cannot be broken,
From grade school to high school, they only knew to bicker
But they still knew how to love.

Day in and day out, we would stay out all day in the sun.
And then we grew older,
But nothing seemed to change.
We still dunked our bodies under the deep ocean water
And covered our skin with soft sand.
As the day turned dark, we returned home to movies and popcorn
And he was always there.
We could hear his friends playing loud music and laughing in unison.
We were teased and made fun of
And that was comforting.

He was a protector at heart.
His pain didn’t show,
Only contentment and security.
No one could deem this to ever change,
But it did and this was inevitable.
His big brown eyes and dark tan skin,
That never seemed to lighten nor darken,
Was our protector, her protector more than anything.
His presence was never questioned,
Only assured.

He was always there growing up.
No one knew his heart could grow sad,
But it had and happened hastily.
Did she know?
Had she felt her protector’s pain as her own?
Though I believe she did,
It is now that she will feel his pain for the rest of her life.
He wasn’t there anymore,
And an emptiness overcame all of our hearts.
We are still half empty
And I know now we will always remain half empty
Because that is what life does to you.
It will slowly tear you apart piece by piece,
But it is only half empty that we ever be,
And our other halves have hope for something more.

This pain is a part of her more than anything.
She will never grow apart from this sadness,
It will cling to her like she used to cling to his presence.
She has grown strong,
Stronger than anyone I know.
I am proud to call her one of my best friends
And am amazed by her infinite beauty.
And it’s the times and memories we have created in that house,
With the comfort of his presence, and security
Because he was always there growing up
And that will define us forever.