A Friendly Clown
The Blond Guitar
by Jeremy Burden
1 My most valuable possession is an old, slightly warped blond guitar--the first instrument I taught myself how to play. 2 It's nothing fancy, just a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and scratched and finger-printed. 3 At the top is a bramble of copper-wound strings, each one hooked through the eye of a silver tuning key. 4 The strings are stretched down a long, slim neck, its frets tarnished, the wood worn by years of fingers pressing chords and picking notes. 5 The body of the Madeira is shaped like an enormous yellow pear, one that was slightly damaged in shipping. 6 The blond wood has been chipped and gouged to gray, particularly where the pick guard fell off years ago. 7 No, it's not a beautiful instrument, but it still lets me make music, and for that I will always treasure it.