PORTRAIT OF A LINEAGE, Part 1

Listen: Portrait of a Lineage, part 1.Mp3

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Austin

The series beginning today is based around a set of seven poems by the great artist Sonja Eisenberg. Sonja is my cousin and the vast majority of my artistic identity today is owed to her influence and the countless hours we've spent together musing about art and life. The poem, entitled "portrait of a poet" and here performed by my wife Megan Wintory, reads:

On the street

I met a neighbor

"Do you celebrate?" she asked

"You should!"

"Of course," I replied

"I can see the sky

I hear a bird sing."

Andy

The poem in today's track, to me, spoke to the curiosity and wonder with which we should maintain in our daily life. This was symbolized for me by the simple act of preparing to shake hands. I am terrible at meeting new people. Instead of truly listening to their introduction and learning their name, I am concerned with my own introduction, and what I am going to say. It takes work on my part to break this habit as I feel like in not really listening I am failing to be as observant and aware as this poem asks us to be.