Two Violins BY A.E. STALLINGS

 Two Violins

BY A.E. STALLINGS

One was fire red,   

Hand carved and new—

The local maker pried the wood

From a torn-down church's pew,

The Devil's instrument

Wrenched from the house of God.

It answered merrily and clear

Though my fingering was flawed;

Bright and sharp as a young wine,

They said, but it would mellow,

And that I would grow into it.

The other one was yellow

And nicked down at the chin,

A varnish of Baltic amber,

A one-piece back of tiger maple

And a low, dark timbre.

A century old, they said,

Its sound will never change.

Rich and deep on G and D,

Thin on the upper range,

And how it came from the Old World

Was anybody's guess—

Light as an exile's suitcase,

A belly of emptiness:

That was the one I chose

(Not the one of flame)   

And teachers would turn in their practiced hands

To see whence the sad notes came.

What is your reaction to the poem?

a) why so? Themes?

-diction: 

-tone: 

-imagery: 

-sound: consonance,

-form: 

What is your understanding of the poem?
a) What is it about? 

-how much of your understanding is influenced by your position?