by Abby Caplin
after May Swenson
It’s about
fingers,
strings,
frets,
plucks,
and
strums.
Fingers
press
strings
to neck,
above
frets.
Other
hand’s
fingers,
or thumb,
pluck and
strum.
Sometimes fret
fingers are weak, don’t
press hard enough (zzzz)
or want to wobble and cry
(wah-wah-wah-wah). Or
they pull the string to make
it ring. Strings stretch
across neck, wait
for finger to press
hard or make like
a hammer. Some-
times strings stretch
or get tense and break
(boing). Sometimes finger
slides down neck (squeal)
or climbs onto other frets
(squeak). Fingers and strings
learn to talk and play nice, in
bedrooms and concert halls, for
breakups or for fun. The body can
even be tapped like a drum. It en-
thralls crowds, whether one note
or chords in vibration. It’s about
the strings and oscillation, the
neck, the body, the frets, and
the fingers. It’s about love
and it’s about dreamers.