Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, Zilpah
Sisterhood, a utility:
For hygiene, for advice, to let off steam, to vibe with, to experiment, to embarrass, to compete with, to confide in, to embrace, to fondle, to pet, to build, to block, to chastise, to patronize, to sacrifice, to entertain, to admonish, to ridicule, to tend to, to attend to, to inject, to molest, to practice on, to knife, to obey, to borrow shoes from, to be a surrogate for, to collaborate with, to brainstorm, to edit, to decompress, to compare oneself to, to tango, to affair, to braid, to defend, to marry off, to project upon, for transference, to resent, to envy, to seduce, to conspire, to abuse, to disabuse, for witchcraft, for nunnery, for seance, for mourning.
All women are not my sisters. I believe in the body. I believe in a woman's right to love her body, and seek love for her body through the love of another. I believe women can be terribly cruel to one another. I believe women have weapons to bring one another down, in a way patriarchy never intends to.
The best of sisterhood can protect, defend, uplift against some of histories darkest hours. Women against one another, however, can invoke some of the worst pain and violence there is. This phenomenon is biological, practical, manipulative, conditioned. We love our girlfriends, until we want something beyond them, in spite of them.
