---

 

This writing was accepted for publication in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN#/ISBN# issue/book “Death Waits Outside” cc&d, v300 (the August 2020 issue) Order the 6"x9" paperback book:

Order this writing in the book One with the Mountain the cc&d May-Aug. 2020 magazine issues collection book		get the 426 page May-Aug. 2020 cc&d magazine 6" x 9" ISBN# paperback book:

Order this writing in the book inside the box the 2020 poetry & art collection anthology		get the 262 page poetry & artwork & photography collection anthology as a 6" x 9" ISBN# paperback book:

Piano

James Mulhern

On that gray day, you chopped the grand piano with an ax.
Surrounded by yellow and red leaves on the hard earth,
you raised your arm to smash it all apart.

I could only wonder. You were a man raised to think
crying was weak. Strength and power should define you.
Men like you could not voice their secrets or despair.

You shattered the instrument, exorcising its shiny veneer.
Resin-impregnated paper, dovetail joints, wooden ribs,
and polished mahogany scattered around you.

Slowly the curved outline of the piano became a ragged mess.
The soundboard heart cracked. Small planks of air-dried wood
joined the miscellany of strings, keys, and padded hammers.

I thought of my mother, the day she moved out,
how you changed the locks and emptied every closet,
destroying each vestige of your shared lives.

If I had left the window to join you outside,
I would have seen your tears,
glistening strings on the soundboard of a broken soul.

Copyright of written pieces remain with the author, who has allowed it to be shown through Scars Publications and Design.Web site © Scars Publications and Design. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without express permission from the author.

Problems with this page? Then deal with it...