Image to come These poems, stories, songs, quote, and art have been gathered from all over the world, partly via FIDDLE-L, an online list for fiddlers and those who love fiddle music. dhebert@crocker.com

Serenade for Ducks by Julie Lyonn Lieberman I've played a lot of quirky gigs in the Spring in New York City, but my favorite one was the year I got a call from a lovelorn fellow who'd been rejected by his true love. He'd rented the boathouse in Central Park, which hadn't yet opened for the season, and hired a famous chef, one waitress, and one jazz violinist -- me. The object of his affection's employer was in cahoots, using the pretense of a client meeting to send her out of the office late afternoon. When she arrived via a car service, probably wondering why her boss had suddenly sprung for such lush transportation, she found a romantic setting that even the steel-hearted couldn't resist. But my story actually isn't about this couple. As I stood on the dock outside the boathouse overlooking the pond playing jazz standards such as "Lover Man," "You," "The Night and the Music," and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To," my violin wove a magical spell that no one could have predicted. All of the ducks in the pond gradually migrated over to the dock, climbed aboard and formed a silent semi-circle around me. I suppose one could say that the success of the event could be measured by the fact that my employer had scored such a success that he and his "I will - I do" companion were too wrapped up in apologies and romance to notice. For me, however, it was the clamor the ducks raised when my time was up and I turned to pack up my violin. They let me know that I'd achieved the absolute heights every artist dreams of. If you've ever had a dozen ducks quacking noisily a foot away with their beady eyes happily fixated on you, you may understand why I left this gig with a singing heart. Julie Lyonn Lieberman is a New York-based jazz violinist, teacher and author of several books, including "The Contemporary Violinist," "Improvising Violin," "You Are Your Instrument," and "Planet Musician".