Ode to a Musical Saw

Every now and then I come across interesting poems about either the musical saw or street musicians. Well, imagine my happiness when I discovered a poem about the musical saw which also mentions street musicians!

Ode to a Musical Saw/Dave Bonta

No longer walking
the straight & narrow,
no longer restricted to the harsh
amens of service,
now it’s your turn to be held still

for the sawing of some
effete bow, generations removed
from any kinship with arrows.
But you’re free!
And this song of yours

might otherwise
never have been heard.
You put your whole body
into it, still ascetic,
but now for the cause of art.

There’s a sweet spot, the street
musicians say, & they find it
in you. Where the heart might be,
systole & diastole in perfect balance,
if you were more than cartilage.

The pure tone floats up
through two octaves of rejoicing
at your deliverance
from lumber.
Or is this grief?

© Dave Bonta
Printed with permission.

Saw Lady at Times Square
Photographer: © Visakh Menon

5 Comments

  1. Claudia on June 10, 2008 at 4:36 pm

    Thanks to your comment in my blog, I HAD to come and see what your street performance includes and this is so cool! I had seen someone on TV quite some time ago playing a saw and it really impressed me. Next time I’m in NYC I’m going to have to come and find you.

    I love street performers! I see tons of them in Boston every time I’m there and the performances always make me stop and take it all in. And I think that’s probably one of the reasons I was so taken in by the movie “Once”.

    Have a great day! 🙂



  2. John Buckley on July 12, 2008 at 4:57 am

    I first saw a man named Dewey Bogart play a musical saw in 1972. He said he had played carneagy hall. Dewey was quite a character

    JB



    • SA on November 23, 2010 at 6:40 pm

      I actually have a picture of him playing the musical saw. He was a very important person in my childhood!



  3. dawn clews hall on February 22, 2012 at 6:08 am

    Dewey Bogart was my beloved uncle



  4. Renee Thisse on May 29, 2017 at 2:13 am

    Dewy was a family friend that came to our house often and played right in my kitchen. I have pictures ❤️