Peter Pan Of Neverland

My brother was singing, playing guitar, a wonderful
demi-god in my eyes, I worshipped my brothers when
I was young, they could do anything, sing and play
instruments, fix bicycles and electronic equipment
construct walls, explain everything to me,
show me what books to read

We listened with smiling eyes as he made fun of ‘If I
could be anything I want to be, anything under the
sun’ with the most enchanting lilt in his voice, then
he had us in stitches with his rendition of ‘Een
aand op die trein na Pretoria’ in irreverent imita-
tion of ‘Tant Sannie Briel’

Only my mother frowned, dark outside, Christo, her
eldest son, my childhood hero who wrote beautiful
essays, explained geometry and syntax and sang like
Mario Lanza, was not home yet, Ian played and sang
to comfort my mother; then Christo stormed in like a
whirlwind, been robbed

Ian’s performance was triggered by the fear in the
atmosphere, it worked beautifully, he steered my
mother through terrible fear, he seemed to be
Peter Pan of Neverland, forever young and
full of fun, never growing old and sour…

26 July 2009