My teenage passion
was fingering frets,
twisting my fingers into
chords and positions,
resonating the sound
hole of a Yamaha.
When telephone
wire silhouettes
strung across yellow
and orange sunsets
resemble strings,
I regret giving up my dream
of playing like Williams or Bream.
Kim M. Russell, 17th June 2019
My poem for dVerse Poets Pub Quadrille: Fret
This Monday, I’m hosting the Quadrille with the word ‘fret’ and I’ve edited another old poem into forty-four words. I’m posting and linking up early as I’m going to a funeral. This is the first poem I’ve posted in a while as I haven’t been writing due to a very busy schedule. I’ll be back soon.
writing in north norfolk 
Enjoyed this one…and thanks for hosting, Kim. A great word for a quadrille.
Your post reminds me of meeting my college roomate my freshman year….she brought her guitar, huge record collection and a record player….way too many clothes for our tiny room and I knew we would not be very simpatico when she announced, I’m only here in college to appease my folks. I’ll take voice lessons with my regular classes. I plan to make it to London next year with my guitar, and marry Paul McCartney. I kid you not!
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Thank you, Lill! We just got back from my father-in-law’s funeral and I hope to open the pub on time this evening. When I left London to live in Germany as a teenager, I had a small suitcase, a record case full of albums, and my guitar! At the time, I was keen on Neil Young.
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oh Kim….I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Take care, friend.
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Beautiful Kim!
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Thank you, Linda!
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I can imagine that teenage passion. My children gave me a guitar when I expressed an interest, nearly ten years ago. Short fingers are my curse and frustration.
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🙂
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I am so sorry for your loss Kim, David’s father. I am glad to see you back – you have been missed. I love this teenaged passion of yours. My passion was the violin. The passions of our teen years that get put on the backburner due to making a living, being a parent….but I imagine you still give the old frets a run now and then!
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Thank you, Toni. It’s been a long day. David’s eulogy went down well – he’d been practising every night. Since my stroke half a lifetime ago, my left hand doesn’t work properly, so I can’t play the guitar at all. I gave my Yamaha six-string away some years ago. I’m not back completely, though, as my seasonal paid work has a deadline of 1st July and I have to keep at it. I’ll be glad when it’s over and done with and I can get back to writing full-time again.
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I played the piano… but neve too much passion there. My wife was into the guitar, and played until a point where she just stopped… it was either all or nothing.
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You can still do it, I have Dupuytren’s contracture in both hands, I had surgery on my left hand 2 years ago but found a way to play my Yamaha.. Remember The Universal Soldier.
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Funny you should say that – I’ve been singing ‘Take you Riding in my Car Car’ at Bounce and Rhyme!
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I enjoyed this Kim. It reminded me of classical guitar lessons when i was such younger. I just couldn’t master reading music and all I did was fret! ☺️
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Thank you, Christine! 🙂
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A lovely poem and it hit a chord with me (excuse the pun) – I love musing on the past and what could have been. Brilliant, good job. 😊
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Thank you so much. 😉
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A fantastic quadrille, the real deal–would make a perfect example as a Q44 in the upcomimng dVerse Form book. My teen passion was writing; hard to make a living from; though as an actor it wasn’t much easier.
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Thanks Glenn.
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My dream was on piano back then, but I still write songs on ukulele and guitar – so many frets! I enjoyed your poem and the prompt.
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Thank you, Crystal.
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Oh and especially the telephone wires strung like strings!
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🙂
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Love the phone lines across the fretboard sky!
Playing the guitar is wonderful… you are right … should have stayed with it!
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Thanks Dwight.
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I love music but never learned how to play a musical instrument. I don’t think I had the patience as a child and doubt I have more now as an adult. LOL. Nice poem.
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Thanks!
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I played the guitar for a while and I have always regretted putting it down.
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Music, reading and writing make me truly happy.
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Love this: “When telephone
wire silhouettes
strung across yellow
and orange sunsets
resemble strings,”
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Thank you, Sascha.
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I agree, those are lines both soft and vivid, gorgeous!
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When the sky feeds your regrets, oh how sad! I started on a guitar once too, but the fingers refused to be teachable.
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It makes me sad, Mary, but, happily, my fingers still allow me type.
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My son played guitar for awhile but practiced piano more…I like your title, rhymes, and telephone wire frets!
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Thank you, Lynn.
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The magic of words. Fun to play with this one.
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Wonderful poem Kim, excellent – but nothing should we regret. Your life sounds full. But I get it. I chased music for years. Played and sang with so many musicians on the journey. A few made it all the way, some didn’t make it outta their 20’s. Me, I got old, got memories, a wonderful family – and a 5-year-old grandson Alex (almost 6 PaPa) is what he reminds me. He is my rock star! You are damned cool Kim!
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Thank you! You’ve made me blush, Rob!
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The urge to make music never leaves us. (K)
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I have met Julian Bream, He was a friend of my father’s. Best lute player ever.You must have seen some great concerts in Cologne…although London was at its peak musically at that time too. Was wondering where you had disappeared to….sorry for your loss. A sad time for your family at the moment.
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Meeting Julian Bream must have been interesting. I did see quite a few excellent concerts in Cologne – it was all a very long time ago! Thank you for your kind thoughts. I hope to be back to normal and writing every day 1st July.
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Guitar String Blues
Never Fret
i play
a Guitar
Man Vocals
i Dance And
Sing i Never
Just String alone..:)
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😊🎸
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🕺😁
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Beautifully crafted Kim, I like the telephone wires image and the rhyming couplet at the end. I have found that the guitar is easy to play badly and hard to play well!! JIM
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We’re sympatico this week, Kim. I swear I didn’t read yours before posting mine! LOL!
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I’m just about to do some more reading and commenting!
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Luv the prompt, your poem and as well the Bream video with its rippling chords
much love…
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Thank you, Gillena.
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sorry for your loss, meaning the funeral and your musical ambitions!
Very sweet, I can’t play a musical note to save me 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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When we hear something beautiful, we want to be it, but in our love for it, it does become a part of us. I think of the lyric from the Preston Lovinggood song… “Now that I see you, I want to be you.” You strum words wonderfully! As for me I am a very expert accomplished guitar listener.
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