(Note: Every other day or so, I’ll post the next installment in my series, Myths & Meditations. This one comes next after “Breathe” from the section, “Meditations: I am Here and So are You.”
Two young girls stand side by side. One is at least a foot taller than the other, gazing with a sideways glance at the smaller. They are sisters, but you couldn’t tell by mere appearance. The taller one has a hook-like nose and prominent grin. The other’s face is round with a flat nose and eyebrows that are barely there. They both wear loose dresses. They both have crooked-cut bangs.
There was a time when the older sister in this photo was an only child. Her bangs were not as crooked. Her outgrown dresses were not yet hand-me-downs, but kept in the closet just in case. Her gaze in photos directed at her own awkward feet and not at someone else.
And then her sister was born. Soon it seemed her sister was a permanent fixture, attached to her side. It felt as if her sister had always been there. No photo was necessary to demonstrate their closeness. Nevertheless, the older sister cherished this photo. She kept it snug and safe in her wallet. Years later, she found an old photo of herself by herself, which she compared to this one with her sister. She barely recognized herself, a time and space she occupied without her sister. Her sister – still here – with a face now rounder, now worn.
Now the older sister is no more. The remaining sister now takes pictures by herself. She seeks to fill that motionless, empty space.
The Hungry Artist 