Smooth as silk,
The glistening keys spread out
Before me.
I lay my hands down
Upon them
Lightly,
Softly,
Daring not to break the
Still air of calm
Blanketing the house.
An endless second of nothing before
CRASH!
I am ripping apart the silence,
Pounding the black and ivory keys.
The pedal goes
UP-down! UP-down!
As the piano cries to the
Night outside.
A lone neighbor hears
Comes to the window
Across from my building
Silhouetted against
The bright light of his home.
My parents too come out to watch
Quietly,
So as not to break my concentration.
The piano guides me
The keys become not
Separate, confusing elements
But a whole.
A last, dramatic chord
Rocks the house,
And then I am done.
I wait, savoring the way
The air quivers with
The memory of the last notes.
“Again” my dad says.
“This time I want you to focus more on the fingering.”
Emma Bertke
Age 13, Grade 8
Hunter College High School
Gold Key