It was easier to remain

It was easier to remain

In quiet contemplation

At the nature of separation

Without the encumbrance

Of a connection, broken or otherwise,

At least that is what she told herself

In the long afternoons,

When the sun was hot enough to warm her heart

But not so hot as to melt it more than just a little

Enough to enjoy the music,

It was a hiding place for the ages,

So she played the piano

A little light jazz for the fun of it

Chopin for the thrill.

There was danger in every note

The fear of an attachment

To pleasure.

Her heart beat rapidly from the effort

Of lifting the lid

It was a matter of survival,

Her breast a flutter, just at the thought

Of playing a duet

When was the last time

She had breathed freely?

As the last note died she was struck

By the silence

How much it weighed,

The heft of it

Right down to the last decibel.

Nothing she could have played

Would compensate for the loss

Of her composure

Which fragmented long ago

When the bottom dropped out of her world

And she woke up alone.

Every time she played the blues

The shadows danced,

The lonely refrain momentarily eclipsed

By the sunshine of a smile

When she was transported by the magic

Of Music,

And the boogie in her soul