The bronze, coiled in a ring,
so long and thinly slight,
I stretch into a straightened string
and pull it till it's tight.

One end, with a small knot 
designed to fit the hole,
I wedge into its proper spot
and stick the peg to hold.

Over the bridge and up 
the neck and to the head,
I pull the wire across the nut,
and through the eye I thread

the fiber, spiraled once,
and turn and turn and turn
it so the bronze recoils, now tense,
and yet the metal yearns

to once again be free
of this constraint of shape,
and thins itself but gradually,
preparing for escape.

To force accord, I twist
the keys until the E
(already strung) attunes with this
new string, and all agree.

Against the wood I press
the six indentured cords, 
and pinning them between the frets
let loose a major chord.