Not pipes for smoking
these musical contrivances
require special skill merely
to say their names
Galician gaita French musette
chevrette and boha
smallpipes Northumbrian and Scottish
Swedish sackpipa
uilleann pipes from Ireland
from Bulgaria
the deep voiced kaba gaida
while the south
of Italy boasts the zampogna
bag an entire goat
almost an orchestra
with its double chanters
its three drones
then there's the warpipes
highland clans would play
to terrify their foes
it seems that shepherds everywhere
have found a use for goatskins
pipes for dancing
merrymaking
Kevin knows their tricks
he plays them all
his charming modesty
belies his gift
this multiversatile ambassador
of the reed and goatskin universe