Camille...

Matching costumes

So beautifully tailored

Christmas dolls

Each lovingly outfitted

Towering snowbanks

Snowsuits and mittens

Freedom to play and wander

Called home by the

Paper Mill siren

Movies galore, promptly at noon

Roy Rogers, Dale Evans

And Trigger Junior

Popcorn and candy

Saturday’s treat

Snuggled close to Mother

A chase down an alley

For Tiger and Blackie

More kittens in doll clothes

Our favorite tunes

Rowing through pretend currents

While Indians pursued

White-collared uniforms

As we began our quest

With black-robed nuns

Who always knew best

Then, in a distant land

Xavier Cugat and his band

Circular driveways

Intimate gardens

A new culture and language

For little girls to learn

Chickens, ducks, rabbits

Little Buster

Annie, Elvira

And lots of new friends

My sister always my

Dearest companion

Sharing giggles and laughter

At every turn

Tall schoolyard fences

New lessons to learn

San Martin, Bolivar

The dictator Peron

Fu Man Chu

And Abbott and Costello

Homeland bound

Las Senoritas

Spanish-speaking

Curtsies, hand-squeezing

Blossoming, growing

New challenges

Separate loves, separate places

Always devoted

Through our life’s journey

Together

Adulthood now

Ever devoted

There is no other

Who has shared my life

Who loves unconditionally

Gives empathy, support

Concern and direction

Holding my hand

In times of jubilation and grief

To my sister, ardent artist

Giving and kind

Whom I loved so much

Nikki and me at the Consulate in Buenos Aires