They Will Be Them

This collection of images is a poetic study of my young sons as they play in the verdant outdoors. Our cultural response to males behaving badly is “boys will be boys”, and I often witness my sons’ affection for aggressive play with undertones of power and violence. That said, I’m also struck by their sensitivity, sensuality, and by their fascination with nature.

As a mother, I struggle with their behavioral dichotomy, and find myself both concerned and entranced by their wild spirit. I am not religious, yet I view them as holy creatures, as beautiful flora plagued by thorns and immortality. I lust for them – for their youth, for their glow, for their obliviousness – and I mourn the passing of the seasons.