This is the story
of the banjo jubilee:
the pregnant woman
lays her hand on a banjo
for good luck.
The burglar flees
at the sight of a banjo
over his left shoulder.
A dog sees a banjo
go yellow in alpenglow
& begins to howl.
The coyotes answer
with a yip & a yelp
& an ai-ai-ai.
The locksmith pauses
to listen on his way
to the music store.
Just then
the baby kicks
& she jerks her hand back.
It will be a girl
at first, & later
a girl who plays banjo.
There are so many ways
to be lucky
& all of them are round.
This is so happy! As Ed Murrow used to say, I can hear it now.
Well said Peter. It’s true. I can hear it too, and I’m far, far away in Wales!
Thanks, guys. I hadn’t thought of this as a happy poem, but I guess it is. That might explain why I couldn’t get a minstrel-show reference to work.