Two Sisters

Once upon a time
There were two sisters
Twins
Identical in many ways
they loved to sing loved to dance
loved to explore the outdoors together
They loved one another very much
One day they both fell ill
It started with a cough, they were put to bed
But soon blood began to spill
from their mouths onto their open hands
staining their white gowns red
In desperation, their parents sought
A cure for their beloved twins
But no cure could be found
only a few feeble suggestions
It was said that perhaps the airs of the mountains
would do a world of good for the
Young one’s lungs
But also they heard that the airs of the forests
rich with the breath of plants
might be the only place to heal the girls
Unsure of what to do
they decided with heavy hearts
To send one girl to each place, in hopes of a cure
The girls had to part
Neither found health in mountains nor forests
they continued growing weaker
longing for the comfort of each other,
the sisters spent a great deal of time outdoors
as they had when they were
always together
One day
the same day
each sister ventured out and came to a lake
one was cold with patches of ice
the other warm and covered in plants
they both looked in
and gazed at their sisters face in the water
So happy to see one another
they leaned closer
and so weakened by their sickness
they fell
Water covered them, slowly creeping over their faces
Water filled their lungs
They died in peace
a faint smile on their lips
and a glint of life
captured in water
reflected in their eyes
Later when their parents were asked to identify the bodies
neither could say which girl was which

These are oil on canvas. I painted them before I wrote this story/poem thing. When I painted them I was not thinking of death, but during class my teacher looked at me and said in front of everyone, "You just love beautiful corpses don't you?" Yes, yes I do!