A Poem by Gerard Garrigan, OSB

Three-Hand Piece, 10501 Ashbrook

In memory of Isabelle Frampton Garrigan
and in honor of Michael Charles Sissin

One’s hands were old and wrinkled
The other’s hands were smooth
And there they sat together on one piano bench
To share one keyboard for one night
She laid the foundation, laid it down
Sprightly, lively ragtime, old-time sound
“Just play some harmonics over the top”
And so, Mike did, such tasteful blues
We all could feel it, feel it in our shoes
Oh yeah, we all could feel it down to our shoes

♦ ♦ ♦

Fr. Garrigan writes:

“My love of music came from my mother who would carry me around as a baby and sing to me. My mother would come alive when she played the piano. Her music has been a great influence on me. My friend from grade school, Mike Sissin, is a gifted jazz pianist and has introduced me to much fine music, particularly the music of Bill Evans. Mike takes me to concerts of the renowned St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and has broadened my musical horizons by that exposure. I like the point of the poem that music brings together people of different ages from different musical genres. The photo was taken in the home I grew up in.”

Gerard Garrigan, OSB is a Benedictine monk of Saint Louis Abbey in St. Louis, Missouri. Free digital copies of his poetry may be obtained by emailing him at frgerard@priory.org.