Three sisters have I.
We all are the same, only different.
The eldest is a piano,
and she is very ticklish.
Her skin is black as night,
but her teeth are ivory white.
She has a lovely voice with an incredible range;
but alas, she remains a maiden,
for she doesn’t get out much.
She says it’s because of her weight.
The middle sister is a flirtatious flute.
She flaunts her beauty before her beaus
until way past the hour of decency.
We usually have to tell her to pipe down at night
so we can get some sleep.
I don’t think she’ll ever marry; she’s far too fickle.
The youngest is a violin.
Every day she rides her vermilion horse with chestnut mane and tail.
Their favorite path leads over a wooden bridge and the
twin rivers that cut their way through the wood.
Underneath her mellow surface she hides a plucky spirit
that provokes her to good works even under the vilest of conditions.
Her beauty comes from an absence of vanity.
I am a drum, and I keep my sisters in step.
We march six Mondays out of every month,
and we perform every seventh Sunday.
I am a stickler for punctuality.
My middle sister says I am too tense;
it’s true I find it difficult to relax.
And although it’s hard to admit,
I have a weird habit of beating myself with a stick.
I tried to give it up once,
but without the stick I found that I could not be sound in body or in mind.
Four sisters are we.
We all are different, and yet the same.
11/16/18 ~ Shared on Open Link Night at d’Verse Poet’s Pub
February 1, 2003
© 2017 Angela Umphers Rueger – All Rights Reserved
Photo taken in Chesapeake, VA, 2011
This was written for the fun of it, and hopefully you had fun reading it. There is no moral or particularly deep meaning intended.
Although I do have several sisters, and we are all musically inclined, this poem is not about us, but the musical instruments named herein. The more you understand about the piano, flute, violin and drum, the more you will get out of this poem.
As for musical background, I play piano (along with two of my sisters), one sister plays flute, and another violin. While none of us plays drum, I do have memories of hearing the snare drum vibrating during high school choir rehearsals because someone had forgotten to release the tension on it.
The Abundant Heart 
I love the poem! Being somewhat musical myself I think I understood most of the references 🙂 You should definitely seek to get this published, it’s a lovely work of art! God bless your day! Steven 🙏🏻
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Thank you, Steven! I just felt another gust of wind come beneath my wings. 🙂
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This was great fun to read Angela. I Have two sisters and for the fun of it I think I will too come up with a poem like yours! ~ Blessings ~
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Great, Deborah Ann! I’m glad you liked it, and I look forward to seeing your poem.
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I don’t have siblings but I have good friends. I enjoyed this poem very much. Being extremely musical myself, I enjoyed all the differences in the sisters. Excellent write! Please however, add a link back to dVerse on this so others can follow your link.
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Thank you! I actually have 6 sisters. 🙂 This was a bit of fun with music. I sure will add that link.
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I liked it immensely!
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Love how you made each sister having the personality of an instrument… maybe the best is the beautiful music of siblings.
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Thank you! My sisters and I used to sing together when we were younger. There’s nothing like “familiarity” to produce a good blend. 🙂
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A wonderful fun write,
“I have a weird habit of beating myself with a stick.” made me smile.
Anna :o]
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Good! 🙂 I was afraid some people would think that was a bit off the wall.
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This is wonderful! I adore your use of musical instruments as metaphors. Beautifully written.
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Thank you very much, Angela! It was fun to write.
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My pleasure!
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This is lovely!💘 Enjoyed the progression of this poem and the harmonious flow between the four sisters 🙂 Beautifully penned.💘
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Thank you very much. Thank you for stopping by.
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Such a wonderful metaphor for sibling relationships ~ Love your share and nice to meet you at dVerse ~
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Thank you, Grace. It’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you for stopping by.
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Nice poem using these four instruments as characters.
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Thank you, Frank. It was fun to write. Thank you for stopping by.
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This is amazing! I love the description and the personification. This is so creative!
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Thank you! I’m glad you liked it. Thanks so much for stopping by and for leaving your lovely comment. It’s very encouraging.
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This was delightful! One of my favorites this round.
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Aw, thanks so much! I’m glad you liked it.
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Ha. I’ll never look at musical instruments the same again! Never knew they had such interesting personal lives! Very enjoyable read.
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Lol. Glad you liked it.
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