Half Bones, Half Scales
This piece is still evolving. It features two fish, one reduced to bone and the other still in the process of forming. The piece speaks to what we shed and what we grow into. It’s a conversation between past and future, death and rebirth, grief and light, all inspired by our shared experiences.
Two fish — one bone, one becoming.
One lost in yesterday’s tide,
one remembering how to move,
one caught between then and now.
The other reaching toward something softer
You were somewhere in between when I painted this —
so was I.
This piece holds what I couldn’t say out loud:
That growth doesn’t always look like light.
Sometimes, it looks like shedding.
Sometimes like blood in the water.
Sometimes, it’s like swimming away.
For you.
Because you’re still becoming.
Because you keep going.
Some things we carry.
Some things carry us.
Some things are just written across the scales of time.
— From me
This piece was made with my friend in mind. It’s not finished, but maybe that’s the point. It holds the in-betweens, the transitional moments, the parts we’re still becoming, and everything that doesn’t need to be named. These ‘in-betweens’ are the moments of uncertainty, the periods of growth, and the spaces where we are not quite what we were but not yet what we will be. Thanks for being someone who inspires that kind of space.
This piece is about evolving; we’re all still in that process. I remember many moments in my life feeling like the fish who was reduced to bone, but now, I’m in the process of forming, just like the other fish in the piece. It’s a reminder that we’re all on a journey of growth and transformation.
Thank you for your continued friendship through all of life’s growing pains.
marysaysmeh 