The Guitar

Many people who create have a favorite tool they use. Whether it be a brush for painting, a chisel for sculpting or a pen for writing. It is the tool that is most comfortable to the artisan and is almost a kind of good luck charm.

I have a guitar.

It's a Takamine G 230. The first guitar I ever got. My sister got it for me. I honor her in my own way by always using it to write my songs on. It's as if she is part of every song I write because it is composed on the guitar she bought for me so many years ago.

My sister is well and good. I don't do it as a memorial ritual as she will most likely out live me. I just hope that the songs I write upon it will be able to have as meaningful of a life as my sister has led. She'll deny any accolades towards her but I'll say just how awesome she is. She is awesome. In every way imaginable.

So my Takamine G 230 is my tool of choice. It has acquired a number of tattoos over the years and has the look of a truly travelled guitar. The thing sounds awesome in an intimate setting. It was, for all intents and purposes, my "girl" for the years leading up to the time I met the woman that I now call my beautiful wife.

But Takamine never got jealous. She understands her worth. She knows she has a huge amount of value in my life. She has endured two children so far and a two puppies and of course, my wife. She has played on the Vegas strip, at beaches, in parks and in countless houses and apartments. She has been the subject of many photos and drawings.

She's my Takamine. She is my co-writer. Am I her tool?