Cat of Nine
In a cafe on a blissful Madison spring morning.
I sip coffee and poem peacefully.
A harpist sets up his hand-crafted instrument,
intricately carved, and he plays with his heart on his sleeve.
Spying his technique from the side,
I see calluses, thick pads on his fingers
as he deftly navigates the strings
to bring forth delicate melody.
His other hand surely must bear the same scars
of practice, of pursuit of that elusive
perfection – real musicians know
it’s ever out of reach, but the muse still coaxes us on.
I look again at that other hand;
he has only four fingers. He’s a vet
who lost his ring finger in combat but
chose beauty over bitterness on his long road home.
See nine strumming fingers thrumming Celtic chords.
Watch the strings continue to vibrate as sound reverberates.
Feel his joy, throw a few bucks in the tip jar,
and take that love with you as you leave.
© 2011 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
(Poetic Asides prompt: On the Other Hand; also posted at Poets United.)
Sharp Little Pencil 
Debbie
Beautifully worded poem. I like your interpretation of the prompt! Thank you!
vivinfrance
A lovely, noticing poem. To us Brits, vets means veterinarians, so on first reading I had a vision of an outraged pet taking revenge!
Sharp Little Pencil
Oh, I see your conundrum. Vet means both things here, so perhaps I should have shored up that description a bit better, huh? Thanks, Viv, and the pet revenge comment is really very funny. Hamster Rambo!!!!!
leesis
gorgeous Amy
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Leesa. A satisfying poem to write, for sure. A
Eileen O'Neill
Amy,
A most beautifully crafted piece of writing. A pleasure to read, as much as those Celtic cords played on that harp!
Best wishes, Eileen
Sharp Little Pencil
Wish you had been there. Lots of company, all poets, would have been great. Thanks so much, Eileen! Amy
Mary
A strong poem, Amy; and a good lesson to learn. Beauty over bitterness indeed!
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Mary, and yes, he taught me a great lesson. Amy
Sherry Blue Sky
What a wonderful poem! Heavenly to sit writing poetry to harp music. I love that he chose beauty over bitterness after the war – powerful! And I love “take that love with you when you leave”. A wonderful write! Heartwarming.
Sharp Little Pencil
It’s kind of like writing your OWN number on a matchbook and taking it home! Glad that part touched you, Sherry. Thanks, Amy
ladynimue
Your poem so touch my heart always ..
Sharp Little Pencil
Nimue, bless your heart. I’m coming your way now… wish you had been there to share a cup of coffee. A
RJ Clarken
Debbie’s right – this is beautifully worded. I saw this poem first over at PA. I love ‘…the Muse still coaxes us on.”
I also saw that [over there] you gave a nod to Phil Keaggy which was pretty cool, too. Are you friends with him?
I don’t know Phil, but I met his son last October when I saw Hot Chelle Rae in NYC. Ian is a really nice fellow – and a band-mate of a childhood friend of mine’s son, which is why I went to see the band in the first place.
They’re quite good. Definitely two cases where the apples didn’t fall far from the trees. ☼
Sharp Little Pencil
That’s very cool, Randi! I have never met Phil Keaggy, but when I first got into Christian music, he and the Allies were my favorites. I saw a couple of videos of Phil teaching guitar and was amazed at his self-effacing manner and his nimble fingers. Would love to meet him someday… Thanks so much! Amy
Agnija Bharathi
Yes, calluses are a price you need to pay for perfection aren’t they. But so nice that he chose not to let his missing finger callus his sole! Very nice poem. Like Vivinfrance, I too first thought of an angry pet when I read “vet”. This may have been subconsciously brought on by the title rather than the poem itself!
Sharp Little Pencil
Ooooh, I didn’t think of that, I was inspired by this ‘cat’ (American slang) who could play with nine fingers. Funny, how fluid the English language is, especially the vernacular! Thanks, A. A.
Madeleine Begun Kane
I love this poem and the wording seems perfect, with one exception. I was bothered by ” plays with his heart on his sleeve” which is such an overused, common phrase, and didn’t seem to fit the otherwise original, creative language.
Sharp Little Pencil
Madeleine, I think this is a good call, and I thank you for the advice. You’re right – I will have to edit this at some point. Thanks so much for your honesty; I crave intelligent criticism on my blog and bless you for offering it! Amy
uponthewingsofnight
I read this poem and thought it was really good but it is a much better read with Celtic harp thrumming in my headphones. I must say that the music that vet was playing is a far cry better than what I hear in coffeeshops here in Madison. It’s mostly lousy indy music.