1987

A common year
That started
On a Thursday

(See Wikipedia)


1.  The thing you have to remember is that Lily was born in 1987.

A.  Four things that happened in 1987

1.  Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2.  The Simpsons cartoon first appeared on The Tracy Ullman Show.
3.  The Dusky Seaside Sparrow became extinct.
4.  Canada introduced the Loonie.
5.  A giant iguana ate most of Iceland.

(Source:  Wikipedia.  Some information may not be accurate.)

1.  The thing you have to remember is that Lily changed my life.

B.  People Who Were Glad to See Lily

I.  Mother (Obviously)
II.  Father (Obviously)
III.  Grandmother (Not Always the Case, But in This Case--Obviously)
IV.  The Doctor Who Delivered Her Because Otherwise He'd Have Done a Bad Job
V.  Not Me (Her Brother)

That is a negative, but it's on the list to let you know I was--NOT GLAD

In 1987, I was eight years old

And I was studying trigonometry

I loved the following things:

A.  Acute Angles
B.  Theorems
C.  Sharpened Pencils
D.  Not Lily

That is another negative.

I did NOT love Lily.

Where I was (+) for our family due to my premature intelligence, Lily was a (-) because she was born with severe defects.

She was born too early and couldn't breathe on her own.

The Doctor (who was no longer so glad) said she could have the following:

I.  Blindness
II.  No Hearing
III.  Paralysis
IV.  Death

I don't know if you can have death, but the doctor said she could die.

I have not found out any of this from Wikipedia, but from my Grandmother, who can be just as informative and just as unreliable.

When my parents brought Lily home, I was not glad.
When my parents brought Lily home, I stayed in my room and did worksheets.
When my parents brought Lily home, my mom tried not to cry and my dad tried not to cry and my grandmother tried not to cry and I cried because I didn't like Lily and I wanted to send her back.

Then a few things happened:

1.  I calculated the odds of Lily dying.
2.  I determined that she would die but not as soon as everybody thought she would.
3.  I shared my findings using a chart graph I made on my floor with crayons.

My family was convinced and not convinced.

Logic:

1.  My family believes I'm a genius.
2.  Geniuses know everything.

My family believes I know everything.

But they were being illogical, and I know this because they didn't believe me.

My mother was scared to let me hold Lily until I explained to her that I would never feel an emotional connection to my sister if I didn't bond with her on a physical level as soon as possible.

So I got to hold her.

I remember the following three things about Lily when I first held her:

1)  She was very, very small.
2)  She moved her mouth in a circular motion as if trying to figure out how it worked.
3)  I became glad.

I became very glad.

1987 was a common year, and yet no year is common.

Logic:

1.  Many important things happen in a year.
2.  The term 'common year' exists.
3.  Some terms are stupid.
4.  'Common' means usual.

The term 'common year' is stupid because many things happen in a year and nothing is ever usual.

My sister Lily was born in 1987.

Twenty-four years later, I received an e-mail from Lily back home telling me she'd like a piece of my art for her birthday.

She found my mania, organization, scribbling, lunacy, listing to be art.

Always did.

I am now in England.
I am not going home.
I am living in now not 1987.

Mom and Dad divorced, Grandma passed away, and Lily is a bit slower than your average person but beautiful all the same.

This is for her.

She > Everything

My Art

1987 was a very uncommon year
But it did begin on a Thursday
And so did Lily
A very uncommon girl

What did I tell you to remember?

Perhaps you should have studied harder.