I read the EM Journal article by Melissa Kalnasy titled Oliver’s Ballard. There were many great things about this short story. She wrote about her two guitars that she owed when she was younger. The first one that she had was named Oliver. She talked about how she wore out her first guitar. The strings, wood and neck became very worn and the sound was different. Despite this she loved Oliver, she would take him to the beach and play him for hours on end, they had a great relationship. Until one Christmas two years after she got Oliver, her brother and her got new guitars. The new one she got was named Dakota. She explained the new easy sound of the guitar and how she was able to play songs and make them sound a lot better with her new guitar. The problem she had was that she had a strong emotional attachment to, Oliver, her old guitar that she completely neglected and only played Dakota. There would be times that she actually felt guilt deep down because she was ignoring her older and wore out guitar. She explained that sometimes Oliver would reach out to her and she couldn’t help it and gave in. She would play him for a little then find herself back to holding the new one. Later in the story she was going off to college and had to decide which, if any, guitar she was going to take. Up until right before she left Oliver was planned to make the trip and not the new one because she felt that Oliver had been for her through all the years and it wouldn’t be the same without him. However, the moment before she left she explained how Oliver reached out for her once more and told her to go without him. To start a new chapter in her life without him, because he would be waiting there for her, just like he always had. He was her home, her rock, something she knew she could always come back to.
This story was awesome to read, I really enjoyed how she talked about her guitars like they were people. It showed the reader that she truly cared for them and that they were a major piece of her life as she was growing up. This reminds me a lot of what I had when I was growing up. My goggles were a lot like what she had. I know that sounds weird but I had lucky goggles when I was little and swam. I had the same pair of lucky goggles for four years before the strap finally broke too many times and the eye parts were too wore. I got new ones when I was 11 and I’ve been wearing the same kind ever since. I felt the same connection to her using her guitar that I had wearing my goggles during races and feeling so lucky. I was sad when I got new ones but also happy to have new and better goggles. I’m thankful for both pairs but the first ones will always be special. Just like Oliver is to Melissa.