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and finally, Reason #100:

without mum,
our cousins in Westcliff-On-Sea
would just be dad’s sister’s boys;
though seen in photographs,
nothing more than a passing reference
when somebody mentioned
Essex.

 Instead
- and because of mum’s influence –
our lives were intertwined,
a join at the hip 
from birth
that still stretches the length of the M4 corridor.

The only difference
is that we’ve become closer: 
a reunion proves again
the glow, the warmth – the whatever;
the kind of calm familiarity
that comes from having grown up together.
(the final two lines were taken from Gail Tsukiyama’s The Samurai’s Garden)

18 July 1992: the four cousins together. From left to right: Steven, Paul, James (my brother) and me.







Comments

  1. DT15 November 2012 at 16:01

    I know it well - my brother lived in Leigh-on-Sea. We are indebted to the past and the receivers of its legacy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom Wiggins15 November 2012 at 19:37

    It is such a great privilege to have grown up alongside them. Without them, I would be much duller in spirit, I'm sure.

    ReplyDelete

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