<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> This is interesting.  I like = it, though I'm not entirely sure what it means.  Keep your day job, but I = think your nights should be devoted >  to the coffee house circuit. =  And while we're waiting for word of your successes to the beat of the bongo, how = about a</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>>  translation??? = <BR>><BR>> Dave Stahl</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>---------------------------------------------------</FONT></DIV>= <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I knew it would come down to = this.  Okay, for those who never had a poetry class, didn't pay attention if you did, = or are just clouded by my warped sense of logic, here is the = translation:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG><FONT size=4></FONT></STRONG></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG><FONT size=4>Betsy’s Cry</FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=-2>By = Rob Goodale, RPT</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"Betsy Ross" is arguably among those on = the top ten worst piano list.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><EM><STRONG>She cries for an echo, a ghost.</STRONG></EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><EM><STRONG>History’s crude humor, the final insult.</STRONG></EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Meaning a piano with a historic = reference would be expected to be much more.  Instead it is a wannabe, a "ghost" of = the real thing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><EM><STRONG>Fleece the fair passed by,</STRONG></EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><EM><STRONG>Weak from the head, soft but without purpose.</STRONG></EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Fleece = felt.  Those who have = ever been to a state fair know that livestock is judged for quality and awards are = given.  The quality of the felt is so poor that the sheep from which = it came would have never placed.  The hammers also lack tension and = are too soft for any reasonable tone quality.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><EM><STRONG>Should have been the box = from which she came.</STRONG></EM></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1></FONT><FONT = size=-1><EM><STRONG>The most critical was not rejected, begs for = more.</STRONG></EM></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The quality of the materials, i.e. wood = used in the case construction, action, and so on would have been more useful in = building a piano shipping crate rather than the piano itself.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><STRONG><EM>Newton’s dream, = gravity without weight.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1></FONT><FONT = size=-1><STRONG><EM>Her input loose, compromises to the side.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Newton, as in "Sir Isaac".  The = keys have no weights and are uneven.  "Input" = keys.  Poor quality felt = was used and with no key buttons, thus much wobble. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><STRONG><EM>Not of wood, an = unnatural element.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1></FONT><FONT = size=-1><STRONG><EM>Broken and crumbled, her children now silent.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT face=Arial></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT = face=Arial>Broken plastic elbows.  The "children" i.e. "notes" are no longer able to play.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT face=Arial></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT><STRONG><EM>Slips away, her = voice lost to friction and time.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT size=-1><STRONG><EM>The steel now stolen, the gift lost.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Loose tuning pins, the "steel", = (strings), no longer maintain pitch.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><EM>The savior is called and discriminates.</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><EM>Hours go by, she remains silent but hopeful.</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT face=Arial></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The pianotech arrives!  He begins = his work... good luck!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT><STRONG><EM>Moment of truth, = will she breath?</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT size=-1><STRONG><EM>She coughs and sighs, tired eyes open.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>At last the piano will play again = though it still remains a lousy excuse of a piano.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><EM>Exhausted and regret, the servant collects.</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><EM>The apprentice now sits and begins self torture.</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The poor piano tech now tired from = working on this PSO, collects his bill.  Then the misguided kid sits at the = piano to practice on this "thing".</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>Think in metaphor boys and = girls, think in metaphor!</STRONG></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>