For any non-musician or
non-instrumentalist I think
it would be difficult
to grasp the heartfelt sense
of coming home that rises
when one steps into the shop
where all appearances suggest
that chaos reigns
a plethora of parts
of cellos
violins, guitars and other
more exotic musical inventions
even harpsichords
are strewn on benches
hung from walls
stashed in the attic
seen in every stage
of disrepair
so that it takes an effort
to imagine this the place
where musical refinement
harmony and order
are made possible
where broken bows
are lovingly
made whole again
where knowledge of hide glues
viol strings and honeyed lacquers
plus a myriad tricks that make
the craft of violin repair
truly an art
as practiced by our friend and mentor
Stephen Bacon
who with generosity
and patience
has pursued his craft
here in this shop
for nearly forty years