the piano

-

at the tender age of 6 i sat

in front of the Schumann mahogany

painstakingly matching the tadpole-like crotchets

to the black and white keys

my first note was a C

my first piece was by Shostakovich

and my first love was my piano

-

i was 10 when the

reddish-brown wood was replaced by

the black polished Yamaha (YUS5)

and i developed a love-hate relationship with it

it was the punching bag i dealt blows to

something i used to master dexterity (thanks Czerny)

-

this piano has been with me through all my

crescendos and diminuendos

pianissimos and fortissimos

the countless scales and

flatlined sight readings

my frustrated keyboard smashes

every time i try and i hear the sound of death

(it was not intended dissonance)

transcended time as i bypassed

baroque, classical, romantic, 20th century

the soundtrack to my existence are all my

personal creations

i must’ve pressed these 88 keys

several million times

an hour a day without fail even on exam days

like clockwork.