Brooms have been used to sweep away evil and bad fortune, and it is said that a new broom can bring good luck. In fact, this tradition extends into housewarming gift giving, for a new broom brings not only good luck to a new home, but also harmony.  It’s been told that one should never bring an old broom to a new home in fear that it may cause bad luck. Along with this folklore, an old Welsh custom calls for newlyweds to enter their new home by stepping over a broom in order that luck may follow them. Similarly, in a marriage festival or ceremony, if a bride and groom hold hands and jump over a broom, good luck and fortune will flourish in their union. William Jay Smith’s Touch the Air Softly is an ode to the air around the broom which brings good luck and fortune to those newly joined—newlyweds, new parents, new partners, new homes, new love. — Libby Larsen