It's Because of This

It's because I was there when you emerged into this world mouth wide open, wailing the house down
One hand stuck in a thumbs up and one in a 'live long and prosper'
It's because I was there when you rode your first bike
Had your first Christmas,
Lost your first tooth and your first best friend
It's because we were teammates like warriors
We battled parental supervision and bad teachers like soldiers
It's because we were covered in mud climbing trees and making forts and
Jumping through sprinklers with Mr. Freezies dangling from our lips
It's because we bounced along country roads in the dead of summer on the longest road trips
With only ourselves, a sketch pad, a pencil, and a roll of toilet paper to keep us busy
It's because I was there when you fell down and won big and worked hard
Through mishaps and running jumps
It's because you were always there for me too
You were the youngest one, but I wasn't always the one doing the helping
You saved me more times than I can count
It's because of all this that we're intrinsically bonded
It's because of this that you will be the hardest to leave behind