Attachments

My friend the luthier says
The bridge on this guitar needs replacing.
Trouble is, the last time it was replaced
They used epoxy,
Which soaks in, fusing the woods
So you can’t detach the bridge
Without tearing up the soundboard,
Wrecking the guitar.

Elmer’s would have been better, he said.
It’s water-soluble,
Just makes the two woods hold hands,
So when the time comes,
A little warmth
Can coax them to let go
With grace.

He says I shouldn’t try to fix it,
This old lovesick guitar,
Just play it till it breaks,
Then hang it on the wall -
Souvenir
Of all the love
Songs sung
As it swung in my arms.

It’s too late to ask,
But between the woods
Of me and you
Which would have been
The better glue?