LaRae's New Banjo

LaRae has been waiting all day.  She knew it was at the UPS store, but was waiting for Dad to return from his errands with the package.  It was dark when it arrived and the excitement filled the air.


She carried her treasure all by herself into the house.

And she took a deep breath anticipating the joy of strumming her new Gibson banjo.

There was so much packing around the case it took three people to remove it from the cardboard box.

Alisa checked to make sure the banjo wasn't still in there.

Nope, it was in the case!

Along with a note from it's previous owner, Gayland Harper.

Her sister videoed the first strummings; the sound dance around the room an settled in our ears.  It has a rich clear twang

Hubert, her "old banjo" sat wondering what his new fate would be.

Brett gave the new banjo the test....

Someone's in the house with LaRae
Someone's in the house I know
Someone's in the house with LaRae
Strummin' on the old banjo!
Singin' fee, fie, fiddly-i-o
Fee, fie, fiddly-i-o-o-o-o
Fee, fie, fiddly-i-o
Strummin' on the old banjo.

LaRae kept her banjo close by all night!

Revelation 8

And I saw the seven angels
which stood before God:
& to them were given
seven banjos.

Their necks were nickle-
fretted mahogany,
& they were strung
with steel.

Heads like almost-perfect moons
had one clear patch, one sea
where the frailer's fingers hit,
regular as oars.

Thumbscrews gleamed
on the rims of resonators,
those round holds that once
were ocean-going gourds.

A vine climbed the neck:
inlaid mother-of-pearl
leaf & tendril to distract
any potential Jonah.

And the seven angels
which had the seven banjos
prepared themselves
to sound.


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