Saturday 29 November 2008

Four Out of Four

Whenever I meet people I don't know there are several things I am quick to tell them that I feel go some way in explaining who I am.

The first of these is that I am one of four sisters. So important do I think this fact is, that I even mention it on my résumé. It shapes the way I communicate, the way I experience the world, my style, my self as a woman and most definitely my sense of play and joy in the everyday, and the every night; most recently last night.

My sister E came to town with her guitar and played as support to Justin Townes Earle. It was one of the best nights I have had in ages: the combination of E's clear, quiet grace and Justin's Fuck You punk-country generosity.

Several months ago I blogged about Paul Auster's introduction to a book about the high wire artist Philippe Petit. In it Auster says: "Each time we see a man walk on the wire, a part of us is up there with him." This is how I feel about my sisters.

Their triumphs are mine, their worries are mine, their pre-performance butterflies are mine. What I describe is not enmeshment or my desire to look through their cupboards. 

When one sister is away, a piece of all of us is with her. When one has a child, that love touches each of us. When one is up on stage, up on a high wire, up all night, up to her neck in duties, our blood flows towards her like, well... blood.

2 comments:

eddy carroll said...

Im kind of spinning out here, we played Emily on you tube last night, all of her songs, and three times we played 'Not thinking about you', because its so beautiful..I am not sure If I have just stepped into stalker status unwillingly, probably not as then we played Luluc with the same fervour. I relate to your post Meg, its that sense of oneness we forget about in this world, how lovely it is to read about it.

Linda said...

I mention that I have three brothers. My youngest brother was supposed to be a girl - mum promised.