Violet Sargent Augustus Saint-Gauden, 1890 Smithsonian American Art Museum 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

To Sail Like a Hawk on the Wind by Charisse Lowe I'm not sure that you can ever transmit by word the feeling a musician has when in the "pocket". I am a guitar player singer-songwriter first. and started teaching myself fiddle in 1996. I love it, but don't give it as much time as I should.The feeling I have when 3 or 4 of us begin to sing harmony, working our way intuitively on a song we may have never sung together before - that momentwhen 4 voices make that perfect ethereal chord!!! Your blood seems to vibrate with that chord. It's that feeling. I have had that resonance playing fiddle with others, too. It is that Zen moment of becoming one witht he universe. Like a guitar string in perfect tune will do a 360 degree roll when plucked. That perfect vibration of time and space. When I sing black gospel music and I get down deep, I cry. I am overcome with that visceral "God gave me this voice to sing his name with all my soul" - that is a musician's reward, and why we play and why we sing. For those moments of sheer joy and release from earthbound status to sail like a hawk on the wind. Charisse Lowe is a musician from Wichita, Kansas.