The Beauty of Sisterhood

She swam the same river as I,

The same murky waters filled with childhood memories

and flooded with prickling rose stalks.

They wrapped around my porcelain ankle

as I chased the disappearing figure of her strong front crawl.

I could feel my heart sinking faster than my weightless body,

the sharp spikes of the deceiving roses

gently tugging at the inside of my nimble skin.

I could hear the sound of the river bed opening its walls

dragging me down to a familiar ocean floor,

deep blue creatures spitting unkind words like drowning firecrackers.

Leaving me burnt at the memory of the faded shore.

And just as I started to let my body sink to the darkest corner

of the never ending ocean bed,

she blows me a mermaid kiss

and fills my lungs with her purest breath.

Clasping my ice cold hands as she leads my childlike body

back through the narrowing river walls.

She was like a floating lily pad in the Mediterranean sea

gracefully claiming back our territory,

Clearing the dirt and unforgiving conversations from the murky waters

as she healed my burns with cherry blossom words.

These images come from a series I created about a year ago with Cosima & Sylvie ( 2 out of 4 Bellamacina Sisters). This has to be one of my favourite series. I somehow didn't expect the images to turn out the way they did, yet I fell in love with them when I got them developed. I wouldn't say these are technically the best photos I have ever taken, but I suppose its the expression on their faces, the stillness thats felt in the black & white film and the vulnerability that they provoke. The same kind of vulnerability that you share with a sister. Some relationships between sisters are stronger than others, they all have their ups and downs but no one can come close to the kind of friendship a sister can offer. I know that I am super grateful for mine!

The poem is dedicated to my beautiful sister.

- All photos taken on Canon Ae-1, Ilford XP2 Black & White film, iso 400. Natural lighting.