“Shove that pig’s foot a little farther into the fire” someone suggested from across the room. “What key is that in?” I asked. Fiddles started to scratch and guitars hummed to life. “G?” answered Margie, uncertainly. I listened as fiddlers wormed a melody out of their memories and into their fingers. Little by little, the tune took shape and we sunk into the hypnotic rhythm of repetition. I looked up to see many pairs of closed eyes and thought of all the fingers that had ever played this tune. The year was 1925 or 2025, it didn’t seem to matter.
Heidi Hetzel is a lover of music, nature, and people. She lives Seattle with her partner and cat named Hank. Substack: @heidihetzel Instagram: @heids18 Bluesky: @lovelybadger “Pig’s Foot Jam” is the Editor’s Pick for our SONGS, SOUNDS, AND VOICES contest, part of our 2026 Micromemoir Marathon.