White and Ebony
by C.J. Ciaramella

She hunched over the piano,
Face stony
Eyes fixed upon
The white and ebony keys

Her hands stretched over the keyboard
Releasing the opening theme
A hushed breath

Sorrowful chords,
Slow and ponderous
That built until they cascaded,
Spilling over each other

Then, for a moment,
A shift to major key
A light train of notes
Floating through the room
But suddenly
-Shattered by the cannons of dissonance-
A contrast, bold and stark
Wrenched from the instrument,

And I sat, stunned
Before the thundering
Waves of ecstasy and anguish
Flowing from her fingers

A solitary lock of hair fell across her face
Unnoticed in the heat of composition
A hot red rose in her cheeks
- lips slightly parted

I do believe I would die
If she ever loved me
As she loved that music

I am eighteen years old, and I recently graduated from high school. I have not been published, but I am working hard to improve my work.