It's Chopin
she plays
her fingers over
the keyboard
practice more
her mother says
Yochana nods
but Benedict's
on her mind
no matter how hard
she tries
his image leaks
in her mind
his quiff of hair
his hazel eyes
his Elvis smile
(so other girls say)
the Chopin piece
fails to move her
her fingers fail her
and she stops
why have
you stopped?
her mother says
missed a note
Yochana says
more than one
her mother says
breathing over
her shoulder
focus on the task
bring Chopin to life
Yochana begins again
her fingers moving
from memory
black notes
and white
the boy Benedict
sitting beside her
in her mind
his fingers copying
note for note
his other hand
out of sight
touching
(she imagines)
her knee
opps sorry Mother
wrong key.
Jul 20, 2015
Jul 20, 2015 at 1:32 PM UTC
It's Chopin
she plays
her fingers over
the keyboard
practice more
her mother says
Yochana nods
but Benedict's
on her mind
no matter how hard
she tries
his image leaks
in her mind
his quiff of hair
his hazel eyes
his Elvis smile
(so other girls say)
the Chopin piece
fails to move her
her fingers fail her
and she stops
why have
you stopped?
her mother says
missed a note
Yochana says
more than one
her mother says
breathing over
her shoulder
focus on the task
bring Chopin to life
Yochana begins again
her fingers moving
from memory
black notes
and white
the boy Benedict
sitting beside her
in her mind
his fingers copying
note for note
his other hand
out of sight
touching
(she imagines)
her knee
opps sorry Mother
wrong key.
A GIRL PRACTICING HER PIANO AND CHOPIN AND THE BOY ON HER MIND IN 1962
